Mindfulness courses refer to being present with certain attitudes, one being Curiosity.
Being simply present, like a baby for example, is not the same as being 'mindful'. But how can Curiosity help regulate my emotional charge, in real time?
Here is an example: I get triggered by an aggressive demanding person. My instinctive response is to snap back, but this will not be constructive. Being more present, I am aware of the unpleasant feeling of stress-anger inside my body.
Wishing or thinking it away doesn't work - infact it may make things worse. But if I am genuinely curious about the physical signature: tension on my forehead, wrinkles above the eyebrows: how are they shaped, what exactly is the unpleasantness… then the stress and anger may soften.
Then I don’t bite and can communicate more matter-of-factly. In other words 'anger and stress' go to the background and 'curiosity and interest' to the front. Easier said than done though: I can't fake my curiosity. This of course requires practice which is where mindfulness courses come in.
Author: JD
Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
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