I love this, Chris. I started a meditation practice when I was 16, waking up at 5AM to do it. And the last time I did it, I was falling out of bed in the lotus position, having fallen asleep, catching myself before I hit the ground. My first Buddhist practice was Tibetan, which is based on gratitude and a quiet mind. Yeah. As a writer, I never have a quiet mind, so went the Nichiren route and chanted. Mindfulness? Suck at it. I have awareness of what's going on, why I'm reacting the way I'm reacting, giving myself a moment to ask if I want to carry on in this way or knock it off. But, is that mindfulness or just part of getting older and more self-aware? I'm so glad you're keeping up with this practice. Ten percent is nothing to sniff at (that's what agents take and they're doing just fine). I'm doing some energy work (DIY) and that is making a difference. Also, we are syncing with our photos now. LOL. xo
Love this essay Chris - I've been having so many stuttering starts with a meditation practice - particularly because I feel like I don't want to sit with my racing thoughts! How long did your first sessions last?
It lasted around 15-20 minutes, but probably 95% of the time my mind was racing here, there and everywhere. Even on good days, it's probably 65-70% mind racing.
Your journey through 2013 was undoubtedly challenging, filled with a series of significant obstacles and losses. It's incredible to hear how you not only persevered but also found effective ways to manage your anxiety and improve your quality of life. Thank you for sharing your story, they might prove incredibly valuable to others facing similar struggles.
Love how actionable this is (I second the 10% Happier rec). It’s inspiring me to download the Calm app again, which I’ve been putting off!
The “parking lot” concept is new to me with regard to anxiety; I’ve been doing the exact same thing to “park” future writing ideas, but using it to manage anxious thoughts is brilliant.
I think we may have talked about this before but 10% Happier was a game changer on meditation for me too. It's one of the few apps I have the paid version of too. When I tried living on my own, I had a nightmare landlord who blamed absolutely every problem in the place (and there were many) on me...including men's electric razor heads being down the drain. A bunch of other challenges came up but like you, my anxiety went to an all time high. I would just sit on my couch and shake and not be able to get out of my ruminations until I found a meditation on the 10% Happier app that taught me a totally new way to relate to my anxiety instead of trying to fight it off. It was definitely a game changer. I love the "debug" technique too. I do that fantasy conversation thing all the time and mindfulness seems like a great way to get out of that and back into the present moment. Great insights and tips here, for sure.
I love this, Chris. I started a meditation practice when I was 16, waking up at 5AM to do it. And the last time I did it, I was falling out of bed in the lotus position, having fallen asleep, catching myself before I hit the ground. My first Buddhist practice was Tibetan, which is based on gratitude and a quiet mind. Yeah. As a writer, I never have a quiet mind, so went the Nichiren route and chanted. Mindfulness? Suck at it. I have awareness of what's going on, why I'm reacting the way I'm reacting, giving myself a moment to ask if I want to carry on in this way or knock it off. But, is that mindfulness or just part of getting older and more self-aware? I'm so glad you're keeping up with this practice. Ten percent is nothing to sniff at (that's what agents take and they're doing just fine). I'm doing some energy work (DIY) and that is making a difference. Also, we are syncing with our photos now. LOL. xo
I feel like one of these days we will post the same article with the same photos. The Substack singularity 😂
We are clearly on that path. LOL. xo
Love this essay Chris - I've been having so many stuttering starts with a meditation practice - particularly because I feel like I don't want to sit with my racing thoughts! How long did your first sessions last?
Hi Zan,
It lasted around 15-20 minutes, but probably 95% of the time my mind was racing here, there and everywhere. Even on good days, it's probably 65-70% mind racing.
Your journey through 2013 was undoubtedly challenging, filled with a series of significant obstacles and losses. It's incredible to hear how you not only persevered but also found effective ways to manage your anxiety and improve your quality of life. Thank you for sharing your story, they might prove incredibly valuable to others facing similar struggles.
Thanks Winston!
Love how actionable this is (I second the 10% Happier rec). It’s inspiring me to download the Calm app again, which I’ve been putting off!
The “parking lot” concept is new to me with regard to anxiety; I’ve been doing the exact same thing to “park” future writing ideas, but using it to manage anxious thoughts is brilliant.
The Parking Lot is great. The only downside is when I have 100 items on it, but I can churn through them pretty quick.
At first, I was taken aback—"wow, 100 items to be anxious about?"—and then I thought about it and was like, "only 100 items to be anxious about?!"
Well it’s also things like, “buy bagels” 😐
So like I said, serious business. 🥯
I think we may have talked about this before but 10% Happier was a game changer on meditation for me too. It's one of the few apps I have the paid version of too. When I tried living on my own, I had a nightmare landlord who blamed absolutely every problem in the place (and there were many) on me...including men's electric razor heads being down the drain. A bunch of other challenges came up but like you, my anxiety went to an all time high. I would just sit on my couch and shake and not be able to get out of my ruminations until I found a meditation on the 10% Happier app that taught me a totally new way to relate to my anxiety instead of trying to fight it off. It was definitely a game changer. I love the "debug" technique too. I do that fantasy conversation thing all the time and mindfulness seems like a great way to get out of that and back into the present moment. Great insights and tips here, for sure.