Quotes About Self-awareness

Emotional fixations are like that—if you see them clearly, unflinchingly, for what they really are, you take the power away from them. They no longer control you. Confusion dawns as clarity.

other people very clearly, especially the ways we perpetuate our own suffering, driven by habitual impulses and patterns but oblivious to their root causes.

When we are free of self-concern or self-pity, free of inner preoccupations, compassion emerges as a spontaneous expression of our awareness

We start to regulate an upsetting emotion the moment we become aware of it.

We see how our reactions to our emotions can keep us at a distance from ourselves.

Jon Kabat-Zinn reminds us, "There is far more right with us than wrong with us." Mindfulness gives us a way to reconnect with that basic rightness, even at times when "what's wrong" looms large.

put the least effort into dealing with a disturbing feeling that will do the job.

Mindfulness means seeing things as they are, without trying to change them. The point is to dissolve our reactions to disturbing emotions, being careful not to reject the emotion itself. Mindfulness can change how we relate to, and perceive, our emotional states; it doesn't necessarily eliminate them.

Mindfulness gives us breathing space from this conditioning.

I realized that part of my struggle was in wishing things were different:

Automatic thoughts are the slippery initial defining thoughts of a schema, the ones that prime the flood of feelings and lead to a schema attack.

Opening up a space in her mind gave her more choice in the moment.

recognize them as mere thoughts, seeing them as well-worn ruts in the mind: "Oh, I'm having those thoughts again." As we recognize them for what they are, we break their tyranny in the mind.

Of course I'm anxious now—my schema fears are making me assume I'm going to be abandoned or left out.

get to a point where we've observed our mind long enough to become more aware of its repetitive cycles, playing the same tapes over and over, in endless variations.

We each have our unique ways of responding to life's challenges, and we need to respect our own needs, temperament, and timing.

our emotional problems are seen as temporary and superficial. The emphasis is on what is right with us,

Recognizing, for instance, "Oh, I'm having those-feelings again," or "Here come my schema thoughts," gives us the freedom to wake from the schema trance.

Our emotional reactions often distract us from the present, filling our minds with relentless thoughts about another time and place, filling our bodies with turbulent feelings.

can't do this,' 'I feel overwhelmed,' and 'I hate myself'. So I labeled them 'M1,' 'M2,' and 'M3,' for 'morning tape thoughts.' This way I can more easily watch the habitual play of thoughts running through my mind, without taking them too seriously or getting hooked in.

Becoming aware of these emotional habits is the first step, because unless we can catch and challenge them as they are triggered by the events of our lives, they will dictate how we perceive and react.

And with this loosening of our usual identifications, we become less defined by our reactions as we widen the scope of who we think we are.

When a schema trigger disturbs your equilibrium, stirring strong feelings and reactions, it can be quite helpful first to calm your mind down and neutralize your feelings by, for instance, meditating on your breathing for a bit.

Perhaps the biggest tragedy of our lives is that freedom is possible, yet we can pass our years trapped in the same old patterns...We may want to love other people without holding back, to feel authentic, to breathe in the beauty around us, to dance and sing. Yet each day we listen to inner voices that keep our life small.