With an uncertain timeline for shelter-in-place and higher baseline anxiety levels across populations, it's become harder than ever to find a straightforward answer to the simple question: "how are you?"
While many of us tend to respond with an all-encompassing, "Things are crazy right now," or "I'm doing okay," psychologists recommend being as honest as possible — at least for our own sake if not for others'.
According to Mark Miller — a Mindful USC coordinator, clinical psychologist and avid meditator of 25 years — accurately identifying our emotions can help us understand what we're experiencing.
"When we're able to label and know what we're experiencing, then we objectify the experience a little bit," said Miller. "It's still our experience, right? We're still feeling it, but it gives us some perspective being able to name what's happening."
But how, exactly, do we pinpoint an emotion in the messy mix of physical sensations and thoughts that compose a feeling?
First, it's essential that we are aware and focused enough to do so. The state of focused awareness — accepting the present moment without judgement — is known as mindfulness. When we engage in mindfulness practices such as meditation, we get better at recognizing the way our body physically responds to our feelings and the kinds of thoughts that accompany them.
Miller says that mindfulness helps us better understand that negative feelings — such as the anxiety and fear that many of us might feel right now — may not be as threatening as they seem.
For instance, someone with a fear of heights looking out the window of a tall building might be safe from falling, but still feel afraid from seeing themselves so high up.
"The emotion is real, but not true," Miller explains....<<<Read The Full Article Here>>>...
