Practice The Metta Meditation 

Episode #007

Compassion Within the Fire of Anxiety | Part 1

Dr. Christine, my sister, and I, have a conversation about anxiety and the waves of anxiety she has experienced. She wondered, “Does everyone feel this?”

In Part 1, we will talk about anxiety, compassion and how to move towards a deeper place of peace.

Show Highlights

[02:26] Christine talks about a “tsunami of anxiety” in the world today. She feels this continuous wave rolling around the world. Christine wants to know why this is going on and how she can keep herself calm in a world of anxiety.

[04:00] COVID has brought anxiety to our planet that rises and falls. As the waves roll in, they keep rolling across the planet.

[05:55] With the pandemic affecting the world you can feel the emotional signals from friends and family from all over the world. Whether it’s joy, fear, or frustration we are emotional detectors and need to differentiate our feelings from other people’s feelings.

[08:55] Do a systems check to see where your feelings are coming from. Make sure to take your mind off the point of attention, then watch whether or not you rush in and get busy with a distraction! Doing a task is related to survival behavior - it’s practical, reasonable, and a coping mechanism for all of us.

[11:29] Christine has a high level of productivity when she is anxious. “I am constantly distracting myself by doing something.” She believes that doing all these tasks runs away from anxiety about 40% of her time.

[12:55] Laura talks about closing the story loop of anxiety. If not, you’ll keep the thread of anxiety attached to you. At the end of the day it can come back and poke at you or haunt you.

[14:45] Compassion has a neutral observer and loving-kindness point-of-view. Lean away from the strike of anxiety by learning to experience and become compassionate for yourself at the moment.

[22:22] I lead a meditation for my sister and you. We discuss how the process affected her and I answered her questions about what came up for her during this time.