9-Minute Video Meditation to Reframe Your Reactions

Explore your emotional reaction to physical pain

Getting Started

• Find a quiet place to sit comfortably upright—at the edge of your bed, on the floor, or in a chair

• Close your eyes and tune into the breath or another point of focus to be fully present

• Relax your body—loosen your shoulders, unclench your jaw, and soften your brows
  

We all have our bad days here and there, but when we get hit with a seemingly never-ending streak of bad luck, our initial response might be to escape the darkness or push down those unpleasant feelings and try to turn our streak around.

And while this might seem like an optimistic approach to life, running away from our emotions can only take us so far. We give our resistance the agency to snowball, contributing to a storm of anxiety and overwhelm that consumes us in the long run. If you're dealing with chronic pain, resistance could even worsen the pain.

It may seem counterintuitive, but letting our thoughts be thoughts and our feelings be feelings is the key to letting these emotions pass on their own. See them as waves in the ocean that come and go. Observe them without getting caught up in the waves, and realize you hold the power to control how you experience them—not your anxiety.

Takeaway

This meditation is also a part of Verywell Mind’s 30-day meditation email series, Pause & Play. Sign up here to subscribe and continue your mindfulness journey with us. For more videos, check out our meditation library.

Read the original article on Verywell Mind.