Mindfulness Practice

~ This Stinks ~
When something bad happens in your life, what do you do?
a. Deal with it right away!
b. Ignore it. It will go away if I ignore it, right?

Everybody has problems that they take care of and problems that they try to ignore, hoping
they will go away on their own. Our minds know that ignoring problems isn’t really logical
and that the problem is still there, but we do it anyway. Why?

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When painful feelings enter your body, they have to pass

through in their own way in their own time. It’s important
to sit with difficult emotions and just acknowledge that they
are there (and that they stink!). Resisting them only
makes them stick around longer than they need to.

It doesn’t matter if you are a happy little kid on a

playground or a tattooed criminal on death row, your
feelings need to work through your heart and mind on their
own time and in their own way. Suffering is a part of
life, we all struggle in our lives, and you are never
alone in your pain.

What happens when you acknowledge your difficult

emotions? It lessens their power and helps you make
a decision about a plan of action.

© Schoolmarms (http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Schoolmarms)
Reflection. Write a reflection on your experience today. Write anything that comes to
your mind. Questions to consider: What did you learn? What thoughts or feelings do you
have about this lesson? How can you apply this to your life? Do you have any questions
about today’s practice? Write 3-5 sentences.

Challenge! How can you use this lesson in your life this week?
Give yourself a break when life stinks.

Imagine:
Your parent gets really mad at you for something you didn’t even do, and
they won’t even listen to you try to explain.

Forget your anger for a minute. Forget your explaining for a minute.
And just say, “This stinks.” Acknowledge that the painful feeling is
there instead of trying to fight it. Trying to fight it actually causes more
pain.

Other things you could say are, “This hurts,” “This isn’t fair, “Ouch,”
“This is really stressful,” “I’m not the only one who fights with their
parents,” etc.

This might take some time, depending on the situation. But

acknowledging that “this stinks” allows the bad feeling to pass through,
and it allows you to make a better choice about how to respond.

© Schoolmarms (http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Schoolmarms)