You’ve been caught by mind stories.  I’ve been caught by mind stories, despite years of practicing mindfulness.

One can hardly blame the mind for using stories and words to help us process experiences.  The problem is that the mind’s stories create our experience.  Because it is the nature of the mind to try to keep us alive through telling stories, sometimes we repeat unhelpful stories to ourselves long after the event that started them is over.  The mind may originally intend to protect us from further suffering through these stories, but what often happens is that we use stories to try to avoid repeating anticipated difficulties, and consequently our stories snag us into an endless loop of avoiding potential pain and fruitless attempts to try to control our experience.  Our stories can create extra suffering and cause us to avoid challenges.

Where do you find your stories causing you to avoid or control your experience?  Check back here and I’ll tell you my story of the 35 years I spent actively avoiding the colour maroon.

(Teaser: I’m wearing an Aggie ring.  What would be the problem with avoiding maroon?)