J for Just Chill : Manage Emotions with Mindfulness

“Wherever you are, be there totally.”

Eckhart Tolle

Easy to say, but how do you do it?

They say when the heart is at ease, the body is healthy.

But, when you’re emotionally overwhelmed, it can be tough to comb through all the feelings - aCan there be a way to overcome this in a non judgemental , perhaps positive way?

If we had an emotional toolkit, two key tools to use to our advantage would be curiosity and focus.

1. Curiosity to understand what we feel and why we are feeling that way :

   Now this is easy to say. So many practitioners of mindfulness, meditation and positive affirmations speak about it. But having an intimate conversation with yourself can be difficult. Some great ways to do it is :

   • Practicing Art : Creating something where nothing existed can be a liberating and fulfilling experience.

   • Journaling : Practicing gratitude and making a note of what happened during the day can help bring together thoughts and emotions

   • Mindful Doodling : Combining our innate muscle of doodling with daily journals to create a capsule of emotions and build a safe space to express.

2. Focus to help us bring our attention to something that can engage our senses completely and bring us in a state of flow

Ever wondered why do we enjoy watching movies and shows? What keeps us coming back for more?
In Greek, 'ecstasy' meant stepping to the side of something. Over time it turned into an analogy for a mental state where you are stepping into an alternative reality of sorts. Some of the greatest composers, artists, and thinkers describe the love for their work as an 'Ecstasy'.
And, some of the oldest and greatest civilizations talk about and celebrate centers of 'ecstasy' via theatre, arenas and temples. In contemporary times we have TV shows, and movies that seem to have captured entire generations' imagination. But what if you could build that same feeling of "an alternative reality that captures your attention" ?

We call it “State of Flow” and it is built when we can engage all our senses in something that interests us and challenges us at the same time. This could be solving a problem at hand or even building something from scratch or practicing a skill. When we are so engaged that we forget the world around us - that’s when we achieve a state of flow.

And, it is possible to forget the world around us - see, we as human beings have a limited attention span and processing power mentally. An example of this is that we can only listen to and hear 1 person speak to us at any given point in time. This limitation is actually a superpower. Because this means that when faced with tough emotions, we can choose to focus elsewhere and our mind will have to process that, not the problem at hand. This can be a great way to build resilience, create an alternative reality which can help our subconscious mind cope and increase our happiness, which is greatly derived and linked to productivity.

Doing work that involves the use of our hands - be it electrical wiring, laying bricks, pottery, painting or even baking can help us reach the state of flow that can improve our ability to manage emotions better. Here is an example :