Will Baum, LCSW

Worry a lot?  To consider: The Wisdom of Insecurity by Alan Watts. You may know Alan Watts from oft-broadcast lectures–eager audience hanging on every wryly wise, British-accented utterance.  (Lectures can be sampled via this podcast or downloads around the net.)

In this short book, Watts takes on worry and anxiety–a.k.a. insecurity.  He argues that to live is to be insecure; all we be can certain about is the present moment.   He encourages awareness, mindfulness, acceptance–Buddhist principles all adopted as central tenets of many therapy approaches (ACT, DBT, MBSR…) since the book was penned in 1951.  Here’s a sample, about acceptance:

The human organism has the most wonderful powers of adaptation to both physical and psychological pain.  But these can only come into full play when the pain is not being constantly restimulated by this inner effort to get away from it, to separate the “I” from the feeling.  The effort creates a state of tension in which the pain thrives.  But when the tension ceases, mind and body begin to absorb the pain as water reacts to a blow or a cut.

Mindfulness on YouTube timelined courtesy of Dipity:

Another from the Google lecture series.

Richard J. Davidson [explores] recent scientific research on the neuroscience of positive human qualities and how they can be cultivated through contemplative practice.

Another in the Google lecture series, this one from scientist-turned-Buddhist monk, Matthieu Richard, author of Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill.

Daniel Siegel speaking as part of the Google Personal Growth Series last year, around the time he published Mindsight.

From Elisha Goldstein: 10 Ways to Live Mindfulness Today.  Here are the first three:

When awaking in the morning, before checking your cell phone for messages, take a few deep breaths and check in with the sensations of your body.

Think of one genuinely kind thing to say to one person in your house before leaving the home. If you live alone, wish well for someone in your life.

When driving, use red lights as signals to check in with our breath and body. Choose to take a few deep breaths and soften your muscles if they’re tense. Wish others on the road safe driving.

Did some surfing around, found more free mindfulness mp3s, linked at the bottom of this site’s mindfulness page.  Also came across this, mindfulness guru Jon Kabat-Zinn speaking at Google–first explaining, then demonstrating the practice. So, if you’ve got an hour-twelve to spare…

As posted by the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA.  Nice, quick, lo-fi doses of calm and awareness.

5 minute Breathing Meditation (play) (mp3 download)

12 minute Breath, Sound, Body Meditation (play) (mp3 download)

19 minute Complete Meditation Instructions (play) (mp3 download)

7 minute Meditation for Working with Difficulties (play) (mp3 download)

9:30 minute Loving Kindness Meditation (play) (mp3 download)

3 minute short Body and Sound meditation. (play) –>this is an mp3 download

3 minute short Loving Kindness meditation. (play)

Mindfulness Clock (for PC Users)

Mindfulness Clock (for Mac Users)

Alongside lots of other downloadable/streamable stuff at audiodharma.com, here’s a page of Guided Meditations (also downloadable and streamable). Lots to choose from–different approaches, different voices, different lengths, from 5 minutes to 50.

The Irish Times spells out RAIN (the mindfulness acronym):

R is for Recognise. Just recognise that you have the emotion, that you’re very anxious for instance.

A is for Allow. Allow the anxiety to be present, accept that it’s there. No need to get into a fight with yourself over it.

I is for Investigate. Notice how the anxiety manifests itself physically, emotionally and in your thoughts. Perhaps your chest feels tight, your thoughts might be, “This is bad” or “I don’t know how I’m going to get out of this” and your emotion might be fear.

N is for Non-identify. Notice that there is more to you than these thoughts, feelings or physical experiences. You might say, for instance, “This is not all of me” or “There is more to me than this”.

Some like “A is for Accept.”  Easy to accept/allow either.