Meeting Challenging Emotions Mindfully

To register for this webinar please follow this link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/7917160553309/WN_peiw4UCoQ-uIe-YQPfd0mQ. Sessions are free and available only to members of the Michigan library community. Registrants will receive instructions and a link to attend the session directly from PCI after they register.

We are incredibly sensitive creatures and very affected by our environment and the people around us. And because we can’t control all aspects of our external circumstances, we experience a whole range of daily challenging emotions such as fear, frustration, sadness, confusion, worry, doubt, helplessness, loneliness, etc. It's natural to not want to have unpleasant feelings.

Most of us have actually become pretty adept at developing avoidance coping mechanisms such as denial, distraction, checking out or going straight into fix-it-mode to eradicate the stressor. While this might offer temporary relief, what originally generated the emotions goes unseen and unaddressed if we don’t allow emotions to complete their expression.

Join us in this webinar to deepen your understanding of the importance of having challenging emotions and how they ultimately serve our well-being. Come learn about the science behind emotions and how to use mindfulness to build your capacity for being with difficult feelings.

In this session, we will:

• Become aware of the rich variety of emotions that make up experience
• Understand the mechanism of how feelings arise and the effects that they have on the body and mind
• Learn about the true value of challenging emotions and what we miss out on when we avoid them
• Experiment with different meditation techniques to offer supportive conditions to stay long enough in difficult emotions to discover the root need that is calling for attention

Instructor: Aiko is certified by Mindful Schools and trained in Nonviolent Communication through BayNVC. She has attended over 120 days of Vipassana meditation retreats as both a participant and mentor. Her background in Biology, Pedagogy and Buddhist philosophy allow for a unique secular mindfulness offering where participants can investigate how to bring more awareness into their work, personal and relational lives.

PCI Webinars are recorded and available to members of the Michigan library community in the Library of Michigan's Niche Staff Skills Academy about a week after they air. New webinars will be in the New category for several weeks. You do not need to register for a webinar in order to view it later in the Staff Skills Academy.

This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Library of Michigan.