Processing Heartache

(relaxing jingle) Headspace Studios. (relaxing music) Hey there, it's Kessonga, and welcome to Radio Headspace. It's a wonderful Monday. So something that's been on my mind lately is how we process certain strong emotions, because we will all experience them at some point in our lives, from sadness to anxiety to rage and to happiness and joy. And we all know this, this is not a secret, yet and still, many of us don't allow ourselves to process them appropriately. And this is especially true when it comes to heartache. Heartache places us in such a highly vulnerable position and it's really, really tough, right? It can be so difficult to be vulnerable and fully express what we're feeling when this happens, but it's so important that we do so because it affects every aspect of our lives, from how we perform on a daily basis to our other present relationships, and not to mention our physical health and wellbeing. We can be distracted, distant, and have a hard time sleeping or eating, and the list just goes on and on. Recently, I recognized that a buddy of mine was having some trouble skillfully processing this emotion of heartache. Let me explain. So one way I love to express myself creatively is by getting tattoos, and I've trusted just one artist with my tattoos. For the sake of keeping his identity anonymous, let's just call him Fred. On this particular day when I was getting some ink done, I could tell that something was off with him. When I asked him what was wrong, he told me that his girlfriend had just upped and left him without a word. Now, I won't get into the super details but I do want to mention that, as he's telling this story, I can see the tears welling up in his eyes. As he concludes, it's clear that he's in a lot of emotional pain, but in a blink of an eye, he takes a swallow, wipes his eyes, and he's back to square one, as if he didn't just tell me the most gut-wrenching breakup story. I didn't even get a chance to ask if he was okay because right away, he stated, "Yeah, but I'm all good, that girl was high drama anyway." I said to Fred, "I wonder what it would be like if you allowed yourself to grieve her loss, man." Fred looked at me for a moment and then said, "I see what you're doing with your mindfulness, Kessonga." We both laughed. If you happen to be going through a situation where your heart is feeling a little heavy, I would give the same advice that I gave to Fred. With any strong emotions, particularly heartache, sometimes, all you can do is just sit with it. This is where the meditation practice really plays an important role, learning how to just sit with your thoughts and feelings. During practice, we focus on our breath or an appropriate focal...