Disentangle from your Thoughts and Feelings

Much of our suffering comes from our sense of self becoming entangled in the thoughts, emotions, and sensations that arise in our awareness.

We often believe our thoughts and feelings as true without question, and get lost in a negative storyline about ourselves or our lives.

In fact, all our thoughts and feelings are temporary. They arise and pass away. They don’t define who we are. Our true nature isn’t to be found in what’s happening, but in the compassionate presence that relates to what’s happening. In other words, we are not the contents of our awareness, we are awareness itself.

When we forget this, we tend to lose perspective. We get sucked into the drama of what’s happening and can’t give ourselves the kindness and support we may need.

We also instinctively resist what’s arising when it’s unpleasant, and what we resist persists and grows stronger. When we remain aware and don’t get so lost in our experience, we suffer less.

One way to disentangle our sense of self from the contents of our experience is through noting practice. We simply note what we are thinking, feeling, or sensing so we maintain some perspective.

When we do this, we can more easily see the temporary, ever-changing nature of things. We can allow them to come and go without locking them into place. When our sense of self isn’t engulfed by what we’re experiencing, we can relate to it more compassionately. I’ve recorded an 18-minute “noting” meditation that you can try out.

After working with this meditation over time, you will be able to more easily maintain balance and perspective when difficult stuff arises.