According to Eckhart Tolle (author of The Power of Now and The New Earth), every emotion is body’s reaction to a thought. If you keep continuing to deal on a negative thought, you perpetuate the bad emotion that accompanies it and the feeling never goes away. Instead of reliving the offense in your mind, take the opportunity to focus on the present moment. It’s easier to begin practicing this with the little irritations and annoyances.

First, decide whether it’s a matter that needs to be addressed. You might decide that there is no point in taking any action. Put all those thoughts aside as you focus on noticing the feeling within your body. Notice where the feeling is located! Most of the emotion is concentrated in a specific area of your body, such as your chest, stomach, or shoulders. As you notice the feeling, take some deep breaths to relax.

This feeling has the energy to it. It’s real and the effect on your body is real. But then something remarkable happens. It’s almost like a soothing massage, and there have been times when it was similar to a post-meditative body buzz.

It makes it easier to remain in that state until the energy completely dissipates and you’ve been able to allow the bad emotions to pass through you. Holding on to negative emotions stresses your body and contributes to aging. The other benefit is that it is a useful gauge as to how successful you are in focusing. Being familiar with the present moment and what that feels like makes it easier to go there more and more often throughout your daily life.

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