One of the other problems with depression and anxiety is that they often draw you into thinking a lot about things that have happened in the past or worrying about things that may happen in the future. In either case, the result is that you never live in the present moment where you might take in new information, such as that there is no danger, or make new associations that make being in the situation in the future easier and less stressful.
The goal of this section is to work on being able to non-judgmentally observe your emotional reactions as they unfold. Imagine watching your thoughts and feelings as though they were floats in a parade, just noticing each as they cross your awareness and then waiting for the next to pass. This is very different from what you might be doing, which is seeing one float or emotion or thought and chasing it for the duration of the parade. Picture what a different experience going to a parade would be if your job was to follow a particular float wherever it went rather than sitting in a lawn chair watching all the different floats go by. You would definitely enjoy the parade more and be much less exhausted by your efforts – the same goes for the emotional world.
Being in the moment, though, is harder than it may sound, but it’s a great way of seeing how fleeting your thoughts and feelings can be. An important part of observing your reactions is doing so not judgmentally, which could add fuel to them, but rather with curiosity. Emotional acceptance is about allowing the emotions to happen without trying to change them in any way. It is not about liking the emotions, but allowing them to ebb and flow.