Long-time readers of this blog know that my favorite book is My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor. The reason I like it so much is that she shares with us what she learned when, after a devastating stroke, she regained full functioning of her brain. Taylor, a brain scientist, learned that she did not have to be left-brain dominant, as she had been before her stroke. She learned that in her right brain, there was a place of incredible peace and joy. She learned that she could limit the duration and influence of negative emotions.
She writes, "Paying attention to what emotions feel like in my body has completely shaped my recovery. I knew that no one had the power to make me feel anything. Nothing external to me had the power to take away my peace of heart and mind. That was completely up to me. I may not be in total control of what happens to my life, but I certainly am in charge of how I choose to perceive my experience. I learned that I had the power to choose whether to hook into a feeling and prolong its presence in my body, or just let it quickly flow right out of me."
This kind of thing takes practice, and I am finding that it is worth it!
Jill's website: http://www.mystrokeofinsight.com/
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