WTF Mindfulness

WTF Mindfulness

Now that I have your attention. What is WTF Mindfulness? 

Let's take a minute to remember that mindfulness is pausing to accept, reflect, and process an emotion, without judgement. 

There may be times in which you just do not want to calm an emotion down. You like the mad and angry feeling. You feel justified and you would be glad to exact vengeance where it is needed. You do not want to calmly ask yourself why you feel this anger. You do not want to ask what the function of the emotion may be. That takes away from your ability to create an alter ego as a super hero.... or a supervillain.

Asking ourselves "what's the function" of an emotion allows us space to consider if the emotion will support our mental health or if it will harm our mental health. 

There are no wrong emotions. That being said, not all emotions are a benefit to our positive mental health. We need to allow an emotion space to exist while at the same time evaluating its function and our needs.

If we are angry the function might be to help us bring about change, address a conflict with a person, or seek personal growth.

Giving ourselves space to ask "what is the function" really is giving us time to seek out the origin of the emotion. 

The anger's function is to help us change a situation because we are not happy with a situation. We are not happy because we disagree with how things are being handled. 

We can track where and when the emotion started, what it's function is and then we give ourselves space to resolve the emotion. 

Embrace the function of the emotion. Begin to utilize this to your benefit.

If the function of your anger is to create change. Create it!

What are you feeling today? What have you been feeling lately? What might be the function of that emotion?

Take time to start asking yourself  WTF?  Then help your students explore this concept, but maybe don't start with WTF.