I've questioned this for a while...
Negative thoughts, fears, negative emotions- worrying, etc.. when these arrive in your mind/life- are you suppose to experience them?- think about them, let them ride their course until the thought ends- or are you suppose to do your best to completely avoid the thought. For example, when i feel a negative thought/emotion coming on am i suppose to immediately divert my attention to somehting else? or would it be best for me to let the negative emotion/thought ride out until its gone? what's the best technique to get rid of them from happening? Sometimes i feel like we have negative emotions/thoughts for a reason- that reason being because we're suppose to have them? i dont know if this is my mindset thinking i deserve less or what...clarity would be nice
There is a difference between redirection and distraction-and the results are completely different. If a person kicks you in the spleen and ruptures it you are going to feel pain-and the pain is going to tell you that you need to have the problem taken care of by a doctor- and when the spleen is repaired (or removed, or whatever it is that needs done) then you take the pain you felt and rechannel it to something else- healing, walking away, picking better friends- you get the picture. But if you ignore the pain and pretend it isn't there, you may bleed out and die, and nothing was resolved.
It's the same with feelings and emotions, with negative social situations- pretending it isn't happening is not going to work- it's just going to bury the problem so it can manifest in a new way, a way you may not recognize and know how to deal with.
Redirection is completely different- it honors the situation, allows you to feel the pain, choose to handle it in some way (depending on what it is) and then teaches you to redirect the energy to something positive and helpful- into something that works for you.
Quote from: Jlrchrd2 on September 22, 2011, 18:20:00
I've questioned this for a while...
Negative thoughts, fears, negative emotions- worrying, etc.. when these arrive in your mind/life- are you suppose to experience them?- think about them, let them ride their course until the thought ends-
No. I don't think so.
Quoteor are you suppose to do your best to completely avoid the thought. For example, when i feel a negative thought/emotion coming on am i suppose to immediately divert my attention to somehting else?
Yes, this is what most Schools that I am familiar with teach.
Quoteor would it be best for me to let the negative emotion/thought ride out until its gone?
No, I don't think so.
Quotewhat's the best technique to get rid of them from happening? Sometimes i feel like we have negative emotions/thoughts for a reason- that reason being because we're suppose to have them?
If you need to defecate or urinate there is a proper method for dealing with the problem that varies according to circumstances and local custom. Just letting it happen au naturel is usually not the best course of action.
The "best" technique would likely depend on your present situation and your 'goal'. A poorly motivated hedonist would likely choose a different technique than the aspiring Magi candidate.
You're correct, we experience these things for a reason. They're to highlight things we need to deal with. Negative emotions are the symptoms, not the problem itself. I think you need to identify the underlying cause of the emotion and deal with that. Not always an easy task, I know. But with meditation, resolve and courage I believe it's possible.
are you sure its your mind that is creating the negative thoughts, it could be a robot trying to rule your mind :-D
:NoY:
Look into the "Law of Attraction". Start implementing it and you'll never have another negative, bad day again
I do not think its a wise idea to avoid/ignore negative emotions, by doing this you will just bury them deeper into your subconscious, later on you will get a surprise visit, they will still be around before this; operating in deeper parts of your mind well below your conscious awareness.
Its best to simply observe the phenomena as it takes place, as if you are the silent observer, watch how it appears-sustains-dissolves, by doing this you will understand how it works.
i'm pretty sure a lot more people than we realize actually enjoy a melancholy frame of mind. a line can certainly be crossed though between a healthy and unhealthy amount of time spent dwelling on negative emotions, which is relative to the extent of the problem. happiness is fleeting...