How do I stay in the present moment when it feels unbearable?

As a nurse. I come back to this when the suffering of others gets too much to bear. If you are lucky enough to be a support person for a nurse or other health care worker share this with them. Especially after this past year of working in health care.

I'd just want to add that you should be careful, especially if you're a beginner. He alludes to it a little here, but it is more explicit in some of his books and from other writers on mindfulness. Having a practice of mindfulness over time increases the strength of mindfulness. Having support from others also helps it. In a lot of ways, having a regular practice is training for other times. When you're in the middle of powerful emotions, it is hard to remember to be mindful, and even if you do remember and try to be mindful, you might get stuck in your own head with negative thoughts or disassociating. We have patterns built up in our minds from over the years, and it isn't easily changed. But by building up the strength of your mindfulness, you're more likely to notice early signs of emotional storms as they're starting and be more likely to be able to intervene and cut things off before it gets worse. You're also able to handle stronger emotions in general. Until you get to that point, it still may be safer to distract yourself and come back to it later. As an aside, it's been interesting for me to see how the brain can feed negative emotions and keep them going. You feel anxious and are likely to think anxious thoughts and even fall into imagining bad scenarios in minute detail that haven't even happened yet and probably won't. But if you start to notice what is happening, you may still have thoughts but don't get as sucked into the thoughts. Or you notice you're imagining something. You go back to noticing your breathing and noticing the emotion itself. I can say "I'm feeling anxious". It's an uncomfortable feeling to sit with, but just by noticing it and calling it what it is, it has less power. Maybe an anxious thought comes up and it's like "hey.. there's an anxious thought.. that makes sense since I'm feeling anxious". Believing the anxious thoughts and getting lost in an anxious fantasy increases the anxiety, giving it strength. Without that, it tends to dissipate on its own a lot faster than it would have otherwise. That little bit of distance from the feeling and your thoughts also makes self-compassion easier. We're often compassionate to other people in a way that we aren't to ourselves. If a friend was having a panic attack, we'd give them a hug and try to help them through it. But if it is us, we may get frustrated and even angry at ourselves. With mindfulness, you get more used to noticing things without judging them. So when you go "I'm feeling anxious", it tends to be more a statement of fact then a judgement. So it is easier for that part of yourself that's observing to instead feel compassionate for yourself for going through this negative emotion. None of this stuff is easy and takes work. It's a process that you can improve at over time. There are some self-help people out there that kind of pervert these ideas to just blame the victim for their own pain. It may be true in a literal sense that our own minds and reactions to things cause us a lot of pain that isn't necessary, but that doesn't mean it is easy to change that, or that someone has the right tools to do it. We always need compassion for other people for where they are in their journey, and for ourselves in the same way.

“Going deep within yourself to embrace your suffering with tenderness will calm it down in a few minutes.”❤️

“Most people are afraid when they come home to themselves and touch the pain inside, they will be overwhelmed by the suffering. And that is why their practice is to run away, or imagine something about the future to forget, or go back to the past to forget.” He speaks to clearly. So powerful.

This man is brought so much peace to the world. We are so blessed to have had him. Rest in peace.

I started crying. I was overwhelmed before watching this video. I love you all, you wonderful people. 🧡

Just heard the news. A beautiful monk, thinker, friend, mentor, and human being. It’s such a sad day, but as was said in this very video, we can nourish ourselves with the happiness and joy Thich Naht Hanh gave us. We have his talks to keep us in comfort whenever you might need them. I love him and all of you and there’s nothing you can do about it. ✌🏼❤️

After studying and practicing Buddhism for more years than I care to remember, this IS THE greatest teaching of our Lord Buddha. Forget the past, it's gone, don't waste time on the future that is incredibly unpredictable. Just be here now in this wonderful, blissful moment because that is all there is . . . sadhu, sadhu, sadhu🙏🙏🙏!!!

“If you have enough compassion you do not mind being in this difficult suffering situation “…. I come to this video first thing every morning to bring calmness into my mind , so I will not cry…

I've been coming back to this video consistently for the past 2 weeks, and it always helps me to face my fears.

Today I miss my dear friend Mary, who had a beautiful, authentic smile and laugh, so rare, who left this plane in 2000. I believe she left with her joy intact, despite so many sufferings ( cancer and the treatments). She loved Thich Nhat Hanh. Bless you, Mary. Thank you for your light.

My late martial arts instructor said to me when I first met him ‘do you know what the hardest thing in the world is’ I had no idea how to answer and he said ‘to be a nice person’ the majority of people you meet will say they are a nice person, but would the world be as it is if we were all nice. I have thought on that simple answer he gave me a lot and it makes you examine yourself and others more than you would think. Some of the greatest teachings aren’t complicated, mostly they are breathtakingly obvious, but sadly not obvious enough. I will certainly be revisiting this video as it’s simplicity is beautiful.

He always waits before he answers, starts talking. What a spiritual person, waiting for the spiritual announcement/messages. Deep Respect. Love you!

He's so reverent and humble. It emanates.

Every so often a human enters this world who is like the brightest light ever and this man was that light. It will shine forever. Bless you.

I’m smiling, with some tears in my eyes while I’m listening to this sweet and peaceful being….In fact, I feel more peaceful and happy listening to him…being able to practice his teachings is something beautiful to do in this life…

I just miss him so much. He literally saved my life with his teachings. RIP Thich Nhat Hanh

Notes from the video(Part 1): When we go back to the present moment, we could encounter either of the 2 situations: happiness or pain. We don't like pain, try to run away and pretend it is not there by imagining the future or going back to the past to forget, or we try to cover it up by consumption. We hope by doing these things we don't have to encounter the suffering in us, thus allow the pain to continue to grow in us. So going back to the unbearable present moment is the only chance for us to understand the suffering, do something to calm it down and transform it. Here's how: a.generate energy of mindfulness by mindful breathing or mindful walking. /if there are group practioners, you can profit from their energy of mindfulness and compassion. b.the energy of mindfulness helps you to be strong enough to recognize(look the nature of suffering) and encounter the pain and embrace it tenderly. c. Embrace the pain tenderly/with tenderness, in a few minutes you can calm it down. d. get in touch with suffering, brings about understanding of suffering. e. And understanding and compassion has the power to heal. /heal you and your surrounding. f. when suffering less, we can help other people to do the same.

“Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in...Breathing out I know that I am breathing out”, from his book, “You Are Here”.

Sixty seconds in and my eyes are tearing up. It is an essential question: how to be with this moment when this moment hurts so much.