…an unconscious as well as conscious level, most remain unaware of how the fear of death influences significant aspects of their lives and motivates many of their actions. Whether death anxiety is conscious or unconscious, most of us react to it by defending ourselves to avoid feeling the excruciating pain and sadness that comes with the full realization that life is temporary. Instead, we choose some degree of denial and escape, and in the proces…
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…y in agreement with little much else to say. He expressed that his biggest fears were about being alone and “something bad happening” to him or his parents. He often worried about getting kidnapped or his parents getting into a car accident. He also had fears of contamination, and avoided any potentially contaminated items. To ensure that nothing “bad” would happen, Nick developed a set of behavioral and mental compulsions, including: tapping a ce…
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…e hilt in order to leave the house, then that may show low self-esteem and fear of failure,” she adds. No one walks the fashion runway of life with a greater sense of confidence than our newest favorite, real-life princess, Duchess of Cambridge Catherine Middleton. Can we talk for a moment about Kate’s beautiful shoes and flattering clothing choices? Her jewelry (and let’s face it, she has her choice of emeralds and rubies) is always understated….
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…the present, rather than getting lost in memories or being carried away by fears about the future. We now notice that what we formerly thought was essential drops away. Our priorities are now reshuffled. No longer rushed to get dinner on the table between scheduling demands, we have time to explore new recipes. Now is also a good time to add self-care into your routine. Exercise is known to help with management of stress, invaluable in such a chal…
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…ical cultures that have embraced the mystery of our existence, rather than feared and denied it, and thus worked toward peace and empowerment rather than crushing domination. Among these cultures are the great philosophical (and nondogmatic religious) traditions of the West, the awe-based paths of the East, and the Arab Spring. In order to combat polarization, I offer steps to address it through what I call “awe based reformation,” based on accept…
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…perfection, it is easy to get trapped in thoughts of self-doubt, agonizing fear, and sheer exhaustion from the day-to-day issues and errands we must conquer. How many of us halt our anxious thoughts and replace them with thoughts that bring us happiness, relaxation, and peace of mind? Prior to the last few decades, psychology was almost entirely devoted to pathological symptoms and cures, with a disregard for the power of positivity. Despite the r…
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…n’t want to let her down. Your boss asks you to take on a project that you fear will be overwhelming but you worry about the consequences of saying no. These—or similar situations–are just a few examples of times when you might want to be assertive but find yourself holding back because you are afraid of negative outcomes. If you are like most people, it may be difficult to know when it is appropriate to speak up and when it is best to be quiet an…
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…turning towards, is my awareness of my pain in pain? Is my awareness of my fear frightened? Is my awareness of my aversion feeling at all aversive? Or my grasping, is my awareness of my grasping and clinging to my own small minded ideas about myself or others, is it actually caught in that?” And the answer will invariably be, “No.” But when do we learn to ever inhabit this domain of being? So, I often speak about mindfulness as taking up residency…
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…y liberate us from our own delusion and our own craziness, uh, and our own fear and our own lack of comfort in our own skin is this essence of being that is already OK. It’s not like the people who come to our clinic with cancer and heart disease and chronic pain and everything – they have all these major diseases and disorders. But we’re not trying to take it away from them or fix it. We’re inviting them to put out the welcome mat for the full di…
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…warted by the fact that its positive thrust was accompanied by a guilt and fear reaction that led to the ever-increasing utilization of drugs and alcohol. This misguided attempt to quiet the emotional pain and anxiety that resulted from rebelling against societal norms, challenging the nuclear family, and seeking independence weakened them and eventually led to the downfall of their movement. These young men and women simply could not cope with th…
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