“When a strong emotion comes up in our daily lives, we can train ourselves to come back to our breathing and embrace it with mindfulness. If you are an activist or someone working for change, you may be discouraged or become dispirited by the slow pace of change in our systems. Learning how to take care of our frustration and despair is the essential foundation of sustainable activist work or engagement. Thay had to practice mindfulness in every moment during his lifelong path of peace activism. Without mindful breathing and walking, he could not have developed the stability and patience necessary to transform violence in the collective consciousness over a period of decades in the way he did.
“Some distance and space — say going for a walk in nature or, if you can’t find any other place to be alone, making good use of a place without distractions, even a bathroom stall — can give you the energy and concentration to shine the light of mindfulness on a difficult or painful emotion. Breathe, let the emotion pass, and see if a deeper insight into how to respond to the situation arises.”
