Serenity Now! How to Change Your Reaction to Life’s Little Annoyances

Some people call it going with the flow, others calling it rolling with the punches. However you refer to it, the ability to ride life’s waves instead of letting them crash down upon you, is a trait that will serve you well as you go through life. However it’s not necessarily a natural reaction.

Think of all the annoying little things that get to us during the day -- getting stuck in traffic, grocery lines, kids screaming, washing dishes, chores and errands that run awry. We often dwell on the fact that we’re going to be late for work or that we’d rather be doing something else than the chore we’re stuck doing at the moment. It’s easy to respond negatively and then get stuck in our annoyance. It’s like getting caught up in a vortex of negativity.

The biggest problem with this type of reaction is that you miss the moment. Yes, you can dwell on what might or should have been, but the simple truth is, it isn’t. And the time you spent wishing it was, is now lost and you can’t get it back.

Imagine how much better you would feel if you could change your reaction? You actually do have the power to consciously choose how you feel, it just takes some self-awareness and practice to change your response.

Mindfulness is a method to help us become more aware of what’s actually going on in any given moment. This awareness allows us to expand our choices about where we’d rather direct our attention. By practicing mindfulness, you will increase your ability to catch yourself before you’re sucked into the negative vortex. Then, you can consciously make a decision to shift your mood.

Mindfulness has a rich history in contemplative traditions as a vital part of spiritual awakening, but the practice of mindfulness doesn’t require any specific religious beliefs, and the fruits of mindfulness are easily within the reach of anyone who pays attention for even a moment.

Mindful awareness of the present moment gives you a choice: would you rather engage in moment-to-moment awareness, or be trapped in the vortex of your negative conditioning?

While washing dishes, is it necessary to feel burdened by daily chores? Just pay attention to the warm sudsy water, the spray, the light, the smell of soap, the clatter of dishes being rinsed and stacked. Why spend so much of our time judging, evaluating, assessing our experience, categorizing it as good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant, with grasping or aversion?

Over time, it becomes more and more obvious how you’d like to be with yourself, and where you’d like your attention to reside: in the habitual pathways of negative conditioning, or in the open-hearted spaciousness of being, itself? Can we look at each moment with less jaundiced eyes, to see the miraculous beauty that’s spread out before us?

Seeing more clearly will also enable us to take better care of ourselves, and respond with compassion to the suffering of others. There is nothing to lose, or anywhere to get to other than here and now. Let each moment reveal itself in its own natural splendor.