This technique has been extremely valuable for me. Our mind is so much like a crystal ball in that we can start off the day with a fairly positive and friendly outlook (clear slate), but in a split second our mind is taken over by a single emotion; we get tunnel vision.
Our mind is fundamentally open and clear. Emotions are just thoughts with a lot of energy in them. You could address these emotions in the same way you address "lighter thoughts" -- things you see or experience that you brush off almost instantly. We want to experience sustained feelings of joy (and other positive emotions). This post is specifically addressing the negative emotions that many of us inevitably experience.
When a strong emotion comes up, we feel triggered and we're not exactly sure where that emotion comes from or what truly caused it. There's a constant stream of negative thought patterns running through our minds: job, relationships, finance, etc. It seems strange just observing those thoughts now, for me, that we would indulge those thoughts as normal or as confirmation that we're in reality, it's a familiar feeling--a reality that seems to be constant suffering for us.
We can actually be free from this type of negative thinking by recognizing it in the process and saying, "Do I need to go there or can I take a fresh moment, take a breath and change my mind?"
Photo Credit: Jacob2000
"Growth is the willingness to let reality be new every moment."
- Deepak Chopra
