Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life's Purpose

It’s quite true that you created your calming scene by selectively focusing on certain memories, perceptions, and fantasies. But that’s exactly the same thing you’re doing when you see the world as frightening and unsafe.

You might have used amygdala-quieting techniques if you’ve ever cared for a human baby, a puppy, a kitten, or any other vulnerable being. You automatically knew that it would help to move gently, breathe deeply, make soft sounds, and avoid scaring the creature by attempting to totally immobilize and control it.

Relaxing our anxiety is a bit like learning how to “whisper” to horses, as opposed to following the time-honored tradition of “breaking” them.

This is why Gandhi said, “When I despair, I remember that all through history, the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it—always.”

finding our passions starts with a faint sensation of interest, then a slight willingness to investigate what interests us, then more curiosity, which motivates more investigation, which can ultimately grow into a lifetime’s worth of purpose.

it’s easy to see why our parts may tell false stories and mistake them for the truth. Exiles, terrified by trauma, live in a wordless, innocent lie that says, The terrible thing that happened is always happening. I am still in it. Managers and firefighters live in opposing stories but make the same false claim: There is absolutely nothing wrong her

Notice your anxiety creature. Sigh. Soften your eye focus. Move a little. Accept that you feel the way you feel. Make soothing sounds. Offer yourself kind wishes.

Here is the true miracle of life: when it is awake, it heals.

Start with this: as you imagine making a living, don’t think factory. Think forest.