The phrase “Hurt people hurt people” means that people who are hurting lash out at others, causing them pain, whether intentionally or not. You can choose to take in that anger and lash out in return, or you can choose to rise above and react to that person with compassion and understanding.
“Those who hurt us are usually hurting themselves, and their pain may be so strong that they are not even aware they are hurting us.” – Joyce Meyers
Mindfulness lets us stand back from our thoughts and start to see their patterns. We can train ourselves to notice when our thoughts are taking over and realise that thoughts are simply ‘mental events’ that do not have to control us.
Mindfulness allows us to become more aware of the stream of thoughts and feelings that we experience, and to see how we can become entangled in that stream in ways that are not helpful.
When you over-generalise, you exaggerate the frequency of negative things in your life, like mistakes, disapproval and failures. You might think to yourself: I always make mistakes, or everyone thinks I’m stupid. Instead, be specific: What are the facts? What are my interpretations?
When things go wrong, you might have a tendency to exaggerate the consequences and imagine that the results will be disastrous. What’s the worst/best/most likely that can happen? Will this matter in five years? Is there anything good about the situation, or a way to fix it?
Mindfulness is a form of meditation, a tool you can use in daily life to lower stress, improve focus, or treat anxiety or depression. You can use it when you are stressed about an exam, anxious in social situations, and many other difficult times.
“Mindfulness” is a mental state achieved by focusing your awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
You always have a choice: do you drown in regret over what never came to be, or use your energy to create what can be?
We often think we know what other people are thinking, and assume they are focused on our faults and weaknesses. But this is often wrong. Ask yourself, “How do I know what other people are thinking? Just because I assume something, does that mean I’m right?”