Linking A nxiety, Emotion, and Mindfulness 37
Anxiety and Emotions and Their
Relationships to Mindfulness
If you have ever spent time at the beach, you are probably
well aware that ocean waves not only differ in size and shape
but also move with varying speed and intensity. That’s part
of the fun of swimming in the ocean! Thanks to modern
forecasting, ocean currents are generally predictable, but of
course, conditions can change with little notice. The calm
and soothing ocean can quickly become vicious and destruc-
tive, depending on conditions of the water itself, such as
thermal patterns, and conditions outside of the water, such
as the wind and the weather. Emotions are very much like
waves and can easily inf luence the way you think, act, and
respond to various situations in your life. Emotions, again
much like the ocean, can also be affected by internal (physi-
ological) and external (environmental) conditions. Most of
the time, your emotions are quite predictable and manage-
able, but every now and then, like a big ocean wave, they can
get the best of you!
Rate the Intensity of Your Emotions Take a moment to review
the following list of basic human emotions. Then, for each one,
identif y a time during the last week (or the last several weeks) when
you experienced this emotion. Next, rate the intensity with which
you felt the emotion by comparing it to ocean waves on a scale of 1
to 5, where 1 = small waves and 5 = large surfing waves.