As humans, we all experience the same thoughts and emotions at a basic and fundamental level. Hatred, lust, loathing, aversion, passion and others. We also tend to create our own stories about these thoughts and the emotions that prompt them. In many cases, the story lines are problematic.
When we get angry, for example, we create story lines that sweep us away into something much bigger than the initial thought of ‘I’m angry’. Instead, we can drop the story line. We do not have to act on it or repress it, we can simply let it pass us by, recognizing it for exactly and only what it is. Our natural human instinct is to react. The fight or flight part of our brain is always on, but we have the ability to manage it if we so choose.
The next time you start to get worked up about something, recognize the thoughts for what they are, just thoughts, and drop the story line.
