Adopt ‘run toward the danger’ as a personal credo, meaning to confront the most challenging stories or situations in your life directly, as it can be transformative.
Instead of engaging in compartmentalization and denial or stuffing anger and shame, do the hard work of looking at your past squarely to process difficult experiences.
Don’t just accept all thoughts and signals from your body; interrogate them to discern if something is truly wrong or if anxiety is present that should be walked alongside rather than letting it shut you down.
Intentionally make decisions that are uncharacteristic of your fixed idea of self or identity to create amazing opportunities for change and personal transformation.
Before attempting positive reframing, allow yourself to be sad and angry for a long time, unpacking and untangling the details of difficult experiences to avoid piling up resentment.
Recognize the immense power of talking about stories of childhood shame, as sharing them can be a massive relief and lighten the burden of secrecy.
Continuously expose yourself to the things that freak you out, as this method has a lot of evidence to back it up and definitely helps in dealing with fears like claustrophobia.
Be flexible with personal mantras like ‘run toward the danger,’ adapting them to your current reality; sometimes, running toward the danger means allowing rest and recovery when your body genuinely needs it.
Relate to your past, even the stickiest, ugliest parts, with friendliness, rather than being at war with what has happened, allowing for a new relationship with your stories.
Make time for connection with close friends, even when busy, as it makes a significant difference in mental health and well-being.
Practice meditation daily, as it can become necessary for mental health and preventing oneself from becoming a ‘completely reactive ball of God knows what.’
When past experiences dictate present behavior, get curious and interested in those influences rather than letting them uncritically guide the situation.
Work towards having new, more complex, and ultimately more interesting relationships with your past stories and memories, rather than them remaining static and hard.
Recognize that being a good friend, someone others can rely on, trust, and connect with, is a skill that has to be practiced and worked at.
Incorporate walking meditation, either formally (slowly, focusing on each footfall) or informally (walking at a normal pace with open awareness), especially when too tired for seated meditation.
For concussion recovery, under a doctor’s specific plan, gradually reintroduce stimulating activities like grocery stores, screen time, multitasking, and vigorous exercise to strengthen the brain.
For certain conditions like concussion, stop meticulously tracking symptoms and instead pay attention to your recovery times, as over-focusing on symptoms can be unhelpful.
When something doesn’t feel right, grapple with whether it’s genuinely not right or if it’s anxiety that should be walked alongside rather than letting it shut you down.
Actively engage in activities that make you nervous, such as highway driving, preparing a film, or writing a book, to prevent weakening through avoidance.
Instead of viewing anxiety as a stop sign, try to see it sometimes as a starting gun, especially when it’s dictating behavior that prevents you from moving forward.
Be aware of and avoid negative feedback loops where your body’s initial discomfort is confirmed by your brain, reinforcing a belief that you cannot do something, which can prevent progress.
To fully assume new roles or responsibilities, such as motherhood, deal with past losses and what they have left you with, as this processing is essential for growth.
Give yourself permission for periods of ‘cocooning’ or removing anxiety triggers if needed, and judge yourself less for those times.
Embrace the fun and liberation of not having a fixed idea of self or identity, especially regarding what you believe you can’t do or what you’re not like.
Commit to personal development with the understanding that it involves continuously realizing past mistakes and evolving, rather than reaching a fixed state of perfection.
Generally, it’s beneficial to have hard conversations and do the things you want but are afraid of, as this can lead to growth.
Access guided meditations to help with specific issues such as stress, anxiety, sleep, focus, self-compassion, and dealing with annoying people.