These times are challenging especially as far as our personal relationships are concerned. There are many things that are causing divisions among friends and family members. Thankfully, mindfulness can help us face these difficult situations.
It is so easy to fall into the trap of seeing the negative about other people and judging them for it. There are many times when we feel dislike about how others think or act. It is also as easy to find the unpleasant things about our selves—we can be our own harshest critic.
Mindfulness--the practice of being in the present moment--can help us find or see the positive in ourselves and in others. In our practice, we bring our attention to people’s innate goodness and appreciate their beauty. With compassion, we can focus on our own beauty and goodness, too. Eventually, mindfulness leads us to work on our relationships, including our relationship with ourselves.
Mindfulness also allows us to see things as they are, without any judgment. We know and understand that people have shortcomings and so we do not condemn them for these. We are able to walk in their shoes, so to speak. In this way, our practice also trains us to be open, accepting, and patient. We are encouraged to patiently work on improving our relationships because we can accept others and ourselves.
It is so wonderful to create a daily practice of sitting in silence and imagining ourselves, the people we like, and the people we dislike to be well and happy. In our mindfulness practice, we invite a sense of wellbeing, compassion, and care for ourselves and for others. Make it a daily habit to wish everyone love, happiness, health, and peace.