The Game Of Emotions
In this episode, I explore the concept of "the game of emotions," a reframing of our relationship with feelings inspired by a friend's experience of gratitude for feeling anger after a period of numbness. I suggest that instead of clinging to pleasant emotions and avoiding unpleasant ones, we can adopt a perspective where the goal is to experience the full spectrum of human emotion. This involves practicing mindfulness, as illustrated by the layered approach to observing thoughts and feelings—"I notice that I'm having the thought that..."—which creates space and neutrality. By viewing emotions as data points in the "game of being alive," we can cultivate gratitude for all experiences, shifting from a belief that some emotions are "good" and others "bad" to an acceptance of the full range of human experience, which can lead to a more skillful relationship with our feelings.
