One of the things I’ve learnt from my mindfulness practice is that our thoughts and feelings are something separate to the ‘core being’ (or whatever you want to call it) that does the thinking and the feeling.

Practicing mindfulness has given a bit more awareness that the thoughts and feelings I experience are not necessarily ‘true’.

This gives me the freedom to take a step back and observe them a bit more objectively.

I like to think of it like this:

I imagine every thought or feeling is a bus passing by.

It’s up to me whether I get on it or just observe it and let it pass me by.

It’s very interesting (and sometimes quite funny) when I realise the ‘buses’ I board without a second’s hesitation, whisking me away before I’ve even realised what’s happened.

But at least by building awareness I can choose to get off at the next stop instead of getting carried too far away.

It’s been interesting to realise that my thoughts and feelings are not ‘me’, and they may not even be true.

I certainly don’t manage it all the time, but I’m learning lots about myself as I go and I figure that’s the main thing really. Worrying about getting it right is just another bus I can choose to board… or not.