When I was studying Buddhism I tried to embrace the term Equanimity as much as I could—-when you fully embrace both the positives and negatives of life. It’s challenging for an - all or nothing thinker, like I’ve tended to be, and there’s the fear that if I do embrace the negative, I’ll keep going down that rabbit hole and I won’t be able to get the positive back.
Ahh that fear makes so much sense to me. I've liked the term "facing" for "negative" things. It's not necessarily about indulging them, but about being fully willing to face them, look at them, examine them. It's also helped me to understand the difference between feeling feelings (expressing them) so that they move through, vs. wallowing with them so they stick around as a mood. I've found those two things: face + feel, allow me to go toward the "negative" without getting consumed. Ad I am such a wrk in progress around this!
When I was studying Buddhism I tried to embrace the term Equanimity as much as I could—-when you fully embrace both the positives and negatives of life. It’s challenging for an - all or nothing thinker, like I’ve tended to be, and there’s the fear that if I do embrace the negative, I’ll keep going down that rabbit hole and I won’t be able to get the positive back.
Ahh that fear makes so much sense to me. I've liked the term "facing" for "negative" things. It's not necessarily about indulging them, but about being fully willing to face them, look at them, examine them. It's also helped me to understand the difference between feeling feelings (expressing them) so that they move through, vs. wallowing with them so they stick around as a mood. I've found those two things: face + feel, allow me to go toward the "negative" without getting consumed. Ad I am such a wrk in progress around this!