Let Stormy Emotions Come and Go Like Waves

[Updated: June 22, 2024]

It had been a tumultuous period due to insomnia, dietary disasters, and chronic pain. Gnarly emotions tried to destabilize me more than once. They succeeded at least a few times.

As a counteroffensive, I went to the ocean. Watching the waves arrive, crest, and fall, these words came to mind:

Just like the ocean, the mind can be stormy one moment and calm the next.Happiness comes from recognizing the transitory nature of all that appears in the mind. Don’t seek happiness or shrink from displeasure. Just let be with whatever comes your way. Like the waves in the ocean, it too will dissolve in its perfect time.

I don’t claim this to be my original thinking. Spiritual teachers of all kinds have taught this essential advice.

Sometimes, we mistake spirituality for a “feel-good” experience. But spiritual experiences dissolve, too, so it’s best not to be too attached to them.

When difficult times come, I try to remember that indulging negative thoughts never helps. Neither does suppressing difficult emotions or pretending they don’t exist.

When I remember the transitory nature of all that arises in the mind, each thought releases itself naturally.

The waves remind me to let go and flow—the true path to inner peace.

[Image: Photo by Pavel Danilyuk]

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