Five Ways to Feel Less Anxious with Rick Hanson

When fear and anxiety feel woven into the fabric of everyday life — from global crises to personal health worries — it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, helpless, or stuck in a loop of dread.

So this week I explored how to meet anxiety with mindfulness and compassion, find real refuges that steady the heart, take meaningful action without burning out, and hold life with a wider wisdom perspective.

When we relinquish what no longer serves — harsh self-judgment, false hopes, and unnecessary worry — we can live well, meanwhile, even in a world that can feel profoundly uncertain.

Timecodes and topics:
00:00 — Finding refuge in meditation during a busy, anxious week
01:27 — Bringing fear into awareness: physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts
05:07 — The “miracle of mindfulness”: naming fear to create space and compassion
09:19 — First foundation: mindfulness and compassion as ways to meet anxiety
12:08 — Second foundation: finding true refuges inside yourself and in the world
19:09 — Third foundation: taking action to restore agency and counter helplessness
26:40 — Wisdom perspective: first dart vs. second dart suffering and interdependence
32:29 — Fifth foundation: relinquishing, self-kindness, and “living well, meanwhile.”

You can see the meditation that went along with this talk at https://rickhanson.com/talk-meditation-five-ways-to-feel-less-anxious/

If you would like to watch my free webinar on What Your Anxiety is Trying to Tell You, you can sign up and watch it immediately here: https://shorturl.at/EJ2ZG

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