Mindfulness is a state of mind and way of being in the world that is creates particular way of relating to our thoughts feelings and behaviors. This relationship, between us and our stuff (thoughts feelings, behavior), determines the degree to which we live lives of pain, suffering, emotional ups and downs and impulsivity. Mindfulness based approaches don’t seek to alter our thoughts or emotions but instead change the degree and quality of our focus on them. Sometimes this means simply being able to accept that these thoughts and feelings exist and not get caught in a continual cycle of avoidance and escape. Ironically, when you stop trying to avoid these painful feelings they often tend to decrease in intensity or sometimes disappear altogether. At minimum, we can learn to tolerate these painful emotions with less distress, less suffering and less impairment in our daily functioning. Mindfulness focuses on the present moment so that when you are feeling good you can enjoy that fully without either worrying about the past or projecting ahead into the future.
