How happy are you right now?
The world is a crazy place, and staying calm, composed, and happy is hard work. During a recent grocery store trip, I stood behind a woman who was checking out. I became annoyed with her as she began counting out dollar bills. I thought: This is a pandemic! Dollars are dirty. Doesn’t she know that everyone else in the modern world uses a debit card? She glanced back at me and apologized.
I couldn’t help but soften towards her. She wasn’t making me angry. I was making myself angry and unhappy.
I’m sure we’ve all found ourselves in similar situations. Whether you are shopping while striving to maintain a reasonable social distance, or sitting in a hospital waiting for news about a loved one, or witnessing your child’s tantrum, you have likely felt anger, anxiety, and stress. The good news is that mindfulness can be useful in every single one of those situations.
Mindfulness is not a temporary state of mind: It’s a way of living.
By paying attention and staying in the present moment, we have a better chance at remaining calm and compassionate, especially amid the current situation when we need to find our blue sky. Over time we can cultivate resilience and find our happy.
Read more about mindfulness.
Commit2Sit: meditation challenge