Whack-A-Mole
It's not other people that annoy, anger, frustrate, sadden, belittle, or stress us... it's our reaction to the emotions created by others. YES - others will create all those emotions in us... that OK, it's science; it's automatic; there's no freewill involved in your initial, automated response that runs through the amygdala in response to other people's actions and words. But trying to control other people in an attempt to control the emotions they create is like a never ending game of whack-a-mole. It goes on and one, and you will never win or even make any headway.
Stop playing whack-a-mole, and start seeing your emotions. Observe your reactions to your emotions. Observe without thought, and without an end-goal or solution in mind. Are you running or hiding from the emotion? Are you cowering or becoming the emotion? Now observe your actions. Again, without thought, without justification. without an expectation of how things should be. Are your actions designed to create an emotion you wish to become? Or are your actions designed to run, hide, or kill an emotion you are uncomfortable with?
Stop playing whack-a-mole, and start seeing your emotions. Observe your reactions to your emotions. Observe without thought, and without an end-goal or solution in mind. Are you running or hiding from the emotion? Are you cowering or becoming the emotion? Now observe your actions. Again, without thought, without justification. without an expectation of how things should be. Are your actions designed to create an emotion you wish to become? Or are your actions designed to run, hide, or kill an emotion you are uncomfortable with?
Replies
This helps me so much! Awesome!
I'm glad it helps. I've been meditating on this for quite some time. The more I think about it, the more it hits home that it's not other people, circumstances, events, etc that "put us in a bad mood", it's our inability to deal and address our uncomfortable emotions that pisses us off. Think about it deeply. You'll see what I mean.