9# Equanimity
To ruminate less about my mum's health I need to watch fewer surf clips on Instagram.
They may seem unrelated: in the first case I am trying to solve a myriad of 'what-ifs', in the second I am trying to get one more fix from watching big waves. However they are both made of the same stuff: a thought which has an emotional tug. The nervous system doesn't discriminate: I cannot chose one tug but not the other, just like a dog walker cannot chose that the dog pulls left but not right.
Practically in my case this means that every time I hold back from over-endulging on social media, I become more resilient to my usual stresses. I learn to notice the emotional tugs and not get taken for a ride - at least less frequently.
I think it is very important to recognise that to manage rumination and other distractions I must work on both the pleasant and unpleasant. In mindfulness lingo I must cultivate "equanimity".
Author: JD
Image by marymccraft from Pixabay
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