Times of Emotional Distress

One image that I use with my mindfulness practice is the image of being a mountain. Storms of emotion come up just like rainstorms and snowstorms come up and batter the mountain for a time. Then these storms pass on, and the mountain remains.

There are times of emotional distress that occur in everyone's life. Mindfulness is not a way of escaping this, it is a way of being aware of the emotional distress while holding it in a bigger context. The mountain does not need to flee or even be frightened by storms. Storms arise, last for a while, and then move on. The mountain is not destroyed by the storm, it is simply one of many events that occur. Emotions, like storms are constantly changing. It can be quite helpful to learn that the distress that I feel now is not a permanent condition (even though it can feel like it sometimes). It can be quite helpful to remember that there is something more stable, at a deeper level, than the painful emotions of a particular moment. Mindfulness does not prevent emotional distress, but it allows us to see it differently, in a broader context.

John Weaver, Psy.D.