The quickest way to let negative moods and worries release, is to give them full attention. This is called leaning-in. This process can also be applied to pain management (see  notes below).

Please only start on this after you have developed your core practices, so that you have the skills to step back calmly, be kind to yourself, and be aware of what's going on with curiosity and some degree of objectivity.

Leaning in

Pain management with mindfulness

When we get better at stepping back from our experience, with curiosity, we can mentally re-frame our experience, letting go of the old stories we tell ourselves.

This is where the LALA process is useful! Recall too the stress cycle and how mindful awareness allows new reactions to become habituated.

Re-framing

The stress cycle - diagram

This is a variation on other forms of practice, and a deeper meditation. It brings our attention to the gaps or spaces between things - sounds, breaths, or even thoughts. If get we get the smallest glimpse of the blue sky between the clouds, we start to recognise that the sky is vast and clear, and the clouds are passing through.

Mind the Gap guided practice, 10 minutes: