Anxiety is a normal human experience — we all feel anxious or afraid sometimes — but excessive or chronic anxiety can wear us down and be detrimental to our long-term happiness and health. Plus, many of us are anxious about things that we don’t actually need to be anxious about.In this talk, I shared some ideas on how to prevent and release needless anxiety.Some key points that I covered are:We can feel undisturbed, undefended, and uncontracted in the moment — which is what we meditated on.In order to receive the present moment without fear, we have to recognize that the brain is a prediction machine and can be stuck in predictions, especially regarding fear.The scientific understanding of how the brain generalizes fear, including the biological and neurological mechanisms involved.Strategies for preventing and managing overgeneralized fear, including mindfulness, self-compassion, and self-awareness practices.You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks—for free—by signing up here. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it here.And you'd like to check out any of my online programs, you can receive 20% off by using coupon code PW20 during checkout.
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46:38
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46:38
How to Shift Your Thoughts and Feelings about Others
It’s easy to feel hurt, frustrated, or reactive when others let us down — or when we’re caught in old patterns of resentment and blame. But we actually have the power to influence how we see, feel about, and respond to other people. So this week I explored how to “love at will,” make positive deposits in our emotional memory bank, and draw on timeless Buddhist wisdom to live with more kindness, integrity, and peace — even when others are difficult.You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks—for free—by signing up here. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it here.And you'd like to check out any of my online programs, you can receive 20% off by using coupon code PW20 during checkout.
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38:34
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38:34
Finding What’s [Reassuringly] Reliable in an Unreliable World
In these turbulent times, it’s natural to feel shaken. Together, we can return to what is truly reliable—our present moment, our good intentions, our capacity to love, the steadiness of awareness, and the enduring ground of nature and the universe. These refuges give us strength, clarity, and peace, even amid uncertainty.You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks—for free—by signing up here. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it here.And you'd like to check out any of my online programs, you can receive 20% off by using coupon code PW20 during checkout.
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45:17
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45:17
What to Do When You Get Triggered
In this talk, I explore what it’s like for us when we get triggered—those moments when, all of a sudden, something takes over and we’re flooded with a strong, often old, emotional reaction. We’ll walk through how to recognize we’re triggered, pause to let the full story come into view, bring compassion and kindness to ourselves, and mobilize a kind of grounded strength on our own behalf before we act or speak. Throughout, I’ll touch on how these very human reactions connect to larger forces around us, encouraging us to take skillful action rooted in warmth, clarity, and a deep sense of our shared vulnerability.You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks—for free—by signing up here. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it here.And you'd like to check out any of my online programs, you can receive 20% off by using coupon code PW20 during checkout.
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31:55
Just Do the Right Thing
So often we get caught in worry, strain, and the constant pressure to do more — to fix everything, to control what we simply can’t. In this talk, I explore how to let go of what’s beyond our power, how to do the “next right thing” even when life feels overwhelming, and how to find balance between striving and simply being.You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up here. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it here.And you'd like to check out any of my online programs, you can receive 20% off by using coupon code PW20 during checkout.
Led by psychologist and best-selling author Dr. Rick Hanson, these talks provide a down-to-earth way to develop greater resilience, compassion, and happiness. More at rickhanson.com
Ireland