This is the skill I’m really trying to practice. e.g., I was just getting stressed about being feisty over in the Jony Ive 10-year memorial thread and, noticing my stress, took a deep breath. It helped a lot!
This part of meditation/mindfulness is really all about emotional regulation. It’s funny: we’re doing a course for how to help our near-toddler learn to work with emotions called Big Little Feelings. A core idea is to notice what you’re feeling, acknowledge and appreciate it, then move forward. We’re supposed to say “You look like you’re upset. It’s okay to be upset. Why don’t we do instead?” I’m finding the lessons valuable for my own life too.
This idea of “intuitive meditation” seems related, and really valuable.
Then again, I’m reminded of something a meditation teacher I had once said: “if you actually kept up a good meditation practice, you wouldn’t have these moments where your head is spinning!” Maybe the same is true for @webwalrus and these intrusive thoughts. 