Having anxiety means that my brain always jumps to the worst-case scenario in any situation. If I lose my keys, I'm convinced that a sociopath is going to find them, come into the house, and kill me in my sleep. If I text someone and they don't reply back right away, I wonder if I've offended them, and start thinking of ways to make amends. These types of thoughts run through my head from the moment I wake up in the morning until the moment I go to sleep at night, and they're exhausting. Thankfully, Zen Buddhism has provided me with a series of teachings which help me cope with this emotional angst. They are as follows: 1. Seated meditation is important- When I first started practicing, sitting for just 5 minutes without squirming or checking the time was a struggle. However, I now sit for 20-30 minutes every day. I've found that doing this has created a greater space between my thoughts and my emotional responses. The more I meditate, the be
by Sensei Alex Kakuyo