In any given moment of our lives, there are two basic dimensions to our experience: primary and secondary. Primary experience involves our direct experience of the present moment, our sense perceptions – what we can feel, see, hear, taste and smell. Some sense perceptions are pleasant or pleasurable, others are unpleasant or painful. Secondary

I said to myself in a soft compassionate voice, This hurts. This is really hard. Then I put my hand on my heart as a gesture of kindness towards myself, and said mentally, May I be kind to myself in this moment.

Together, these four steps form a fitting acronym: RISE: R = Recognise and Regulate. By learning to manage thoughts skilfully and regulate emotions in healthy and helpful ways, we step out of the turmoil of suffering, stress, hopelessness and fear and shift into empowerment, peace and confidence. We open up the mental space to find our centre and

While this first step involves developing mental and emotional strength, allowing us to unwind a lot of the stuff that holds us back, drags us down and causes us excess suffering and stress, it also makes way for the next three steps of the method, which allow us to tap into our wisdom and the greatest sources of inner strength we have as human

Conceptual knowledge may be interesting, entertaining or even inspiring, but ultimately it won’t be liberating. True change comes from doing.

Wegner identified a concept he called ‘ironic process theory’, meaning that the more forcefully you try to push thoughts away, the louder they become,

The truth is that your mind means no harm and is just trying to help (as we shall see), but it needs your wisdom and guidance to regulate and train it.

Engaged in a struggle with emotions In difficult times, we are likely to experience painful emotions and stress. That is a perfectly natural result of going through something tragic, difficult, frightening or painful.

Consider the way you have that difficult conversation, make the big decision, face that challenge, make the changes you have to make, conduct yourself at work and home. What if, through it all, you were unshakable in your ability to harness this kind of inner strength?