Compassion Begins With Attention.

The Other Thing Is That If You Rely Solely On Medication To Manage Depression Or Anxiety, For Example, You Have Done Nothing To Train The Mind, So That When You Come Off The Medication, You Are Just As Vulnerable To A Relapse As Though You Had Never Taken The Medication.

I Think The Smartest Thing For People To Do To Manage Very Distressing Emotions Is To Take A Medication If It Helps, But Don't Do Only That. You Also Need To Train Your Mind.

A Little Girl Who Finds A Puzzle Frustrating Might Ask Her Busy Mother (or Teacher) For Help. The Child Gets One Message If Her Mother Expresses Clear Pleasure At The Request And Quite Another If Mommy Responds With A Curt 'don't Bother Me - I've Got Important Work To Do.'

When The Darkness Is Seen As A Necessary Prelude To The Creative Light, One Is Less Likely To Ascribe Frustration To Personal Inadequacy Or Label It As Bad.

But The Rational Mind Usually Doesn't Decide What Emotions We "should" Have !