“Mindfulness isn’t supposed to be torture. It’s a tool. When you’re aware of something, you have the ability to work with it. That’s why learning about states of mind is important. You can say to yourself, when you get into a lather, ‘Oh, look, I’m in emotion mind.’ You can learn to control your attention and skillfully choose what action to take.” She thinks for a minute, then turns to me. “I suspect that while you were trying to practice being mindful, you were actually judging and reacting to your emotions.”
