To start with, I would like to define what mindfulness is and what are its benefits. The whole basis of being mindful is to be conscious through training the mind to pay attention, observe, notice, acknowledge, and accept everything that goes around us and within us so that we can respond and take action in a way that is not automatic but with reflection and wisdom.
Benefits of mindfulness: Emotional regulation, reduced stress, anxiety, and depression, better working memory, heightened awareness, reduced emotional reactivity, enhanced focus and concentration, aids in managing physical pain, improves overall wellbeing (psychological, physical, and spiritual).
What is emotional regulation? Emotional regulation = self-regulation. It’s the practice of managing your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors/actions through “control.” Control in here is to manage, modify, and use your emotions in a useful way.
The power of emotional regulation is finding the middle ground between controlling our emotions and letting them be as they are.
Controlling our emotions is not beneficial because it’s typically done through avoidance, repression or suppression. Let them be can lead to letting the emotions control us.
The AAAL Framework:
Awareness – becoming aware of our emotions at a given moment.
Acknowledge – label them as they are, what are the emotions coming up.
Accept – without judgment, accept the experience as they are without giving it any meaning.
Let Go – after you have allowed yourself to feel the emotion, let it go from a place of love.
By Natalia Vidal – Pink But Not Weak.
