Mindful Nugget: Waves

One of my favorite mantras is,

“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf.” Jon Kabat-Zinn

It is human and natural to want to try to control what happens in our lives to some extent, and there are many things we cannot control. For example, we cannot control the past, other people, who we are related to by blood, the weather, or traffic.

Mindfulness teaches us to accept waves as an inevitable and important part of life. They are a force of nature and if we try to resist them, the result can be dangerous. However, if we harness their energy, we can move with the waves and flow through life, rather than feel like we are drowning.

The Practice:

Much of mindfulness practice is about awareness. Notice and name what you can and cannot control in your life over the next week. As Dr. Dan Siegle says, “naming is taming.” This simple practice is a powerful way to manage stress and anxiety.

Grab your surfboard. You are on your way!

Notice how you navigate waves when you view them through this lens.