Bad Days Are Excellent Days to Practice
What Michael Phelps can teach us about commitment to the work. Has Anxiety ever given you permission to “take it easy?” I’ve said it before: Anxiety is the most cunning of challengers. Aside
Category: Anxiety
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Dear Anxiety, Please Drench My Armpits
When worry rears its ugly head, address your anxiety directly and paradoxically. When worry has relentlessly nagged you in the past, I imagine all you wanted was for worry and
Wrestling With Anxiety in the Canadian Rockies
How to personify, externalize, and simplify your anxiety. I love the Canadian Rockies, and a few years ago I had an opportunity to explore them. I was scheduled to teach
Finding Opportunities to Feel Intimidated and Insecure: Part 2
How to generate distress to dominate anxiety. Remember Mary? (If you need a refresher, read Part 1 of this series.) After our first session, I asked Mary to practice her new
Finding Opportunities to Feel Intimidated and Insecure: Part 1
How to push your content aside to make room for doubt and discomfort. The ten-hour flight back from London was uneventful, but being in the very back row meant that
Lessons Learned in Trapeze School: Just Jump!
Detach from dysfunctional points of view and leap into action Your first time flying can be a terrifying experience. They don’t put that in the brochure. Before signing up for
How To Approach Anxiety with Cleverness: Part 2
Act as though this is a brilliant idea. I once worked with a bride who was hoping to rein in her rather severe blushing, which would cause her neck and
How to Approach Anxiety With Cleverness: Part 1
The Rope-A-Dope Tactic By 1974, Mohammed Ali had established himself as one of the top heavyweight boxers of all time. A bout was set for October 30, 1974, between Ali
Learning to Love the Mat
The paradoxical approach to embracing failure. I called my son Patrick the evening of his Tae Kwon Do competition. He was 13 at the time, and I was out of town
A Profound Experience with the Toilet
Changing your relationship with the present moment. Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash It’s Monday morning, and I have set aside most of the day to tackle this writing project.