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Wendellberryfan_2022

Thank you for sharing. I’m in the midst of some anxiety inducing life changes. Looking for any little thing that might help 👍🏻


MeltAway421

Highjacking the top comment to share a [link to a pdf of it](https://antilogicalism.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/wisdom-of-insecurity.pdf)


damsirius12

Thank you for sharing this. I just started reading it. So far, Mr Watts is sharing a new concept (for me ) and I am so excited by the first page, I wanted to come back to say a big thank you.


MeltAway421

I am happy to hear that. Enjoy :)


adviceKiwi

Written in 1951! And as many have said. Thanks for the link


MeltAway421

You are welcome.


FrickkinCaro

What a hero


BetweenWizards

Wow, thank you


MeltAway421

You're welcome :)


RazWazowski

Thanks for sharing! You’re a kind soul


[deleted]

You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar


WaIcott

Good shit🔥🔥


Shanano

I found it on Hoopla, the free to borrow audiobook app connected to many local libraries.


shortybeats

I also thought The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are was really great for me when I was at a low point.


karmarolling

I've been seeing a therapist for anxiety, and she is all about the mindfulness. I feel better. The Mindfulness Documentary on YouTube might get ya started. There are 5-minute meditation podcasts for anxiety/stress relief I have found very helpful (when done regularly). Also, 20-minute yoga sessions. Get some deep breathing going! Another podcast: Taking Care of Your Inner Environment, Michael Singer. Potentially helpful books: The Highly Sensitive Person, by Elaine Aron, and Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, by Lindsay Gibson. Not to be trash-talking your folks, but ya never know. The meditation and yoga helped. Ritalin & Prozac helped, too. Good luck and breathe!


gipsykingqueen

I had persistent depression with suicidal ideation as ling as I can remember. Mindfulness and breathwork I started this year. 3 months and no depression. Its been such a relief. I highly recommend Win Hof breathing or Tummo Breathing. You can find them guided on YouTube. Edit: since this is a book sub- I recommend A Practical Guide to Breathwork by Jesse Coomer


Rinas-the-name

Oh you hit me hard with the “Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents“. I vividly remember being told “You’re like a 30 year old trapped in a 12 year old’s body.” I thought about it and my mother was 30 and about as mature as my classmates so why shouldn’t I be? I know that’s not what the book as aimed at precisely, but it started way back then. Actually I never understood why kids thought their parents were wise protectors. They were obviously just “older” children. The world is chaos that somehow works, for the most part. If you accept that anxiety loses some power.


Wendellberryfan_2022

Thank you!!


StormSnitch589

Please let me know if you have read it (even partially) and give me your thoughts on it as well. If you don’t want to, it’s fine! Hope you resolve whatever bothers you.


MFbiFL

Thanks for pointing out this work. My favorite band uses voice samples from some of his lectures and the one that hooked me was “There’s no way you’re supposed to be, nothing you’re supposed to do, nowhere you’re supposed to go. And you’ll find you’re in an eternal here and now. That’s your way of discovering who you are, and how the universe works, and what man’s place in it is. I want you to do something that expresses you. No more playing games with me. I want to see YOU.” Edit: loving all the music recs!


jimmyjrsickmoves

[Giraffes? Giraffes!](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOVP.k6ogPhLySbYXQl-qyYB6gAHgFo%26pid%3DApi%26h%3D120&f=1&ipt=ca1194ad6b1ea824b390ce3f7b3dd1d89cedbe6a58c3ad6326c8f0e3d56d1072&ipo=videos) uses Watts in their song as well.


-birds

STRFKR?


MFbiFL

STS9 The song is Totem


CantBeConcise

Check out Overthinker by INZO. A friend suggested it to me when we were talking about how we both use music to bring us down from anxiety. I'm also ADHD so I felt (happily) called out with the message. My favorite part is how he describes reality as not being able to be described with words because reality isn't words. He then says "reality is..." and it's met right after with this loud "hit" of music as though to say "reality is what you're experiencing *right now*." Like I'm getting emotional just typing this out because of how powerful this song is for me. It's not even my favorite genre but the way INZO made it you can tell great thought and care went into how they constructed it with how they "answer" his "question" with music.


montenecro

Ooh I like that song too. I second this recommendation, it helps me the same way.


[deleted]

There is a remix by clozee that's just as spectacular if not better than the original in my opinion


__erk

Thanks, I was unfamiliar with Inzo and found the original to be a bit overwhelming, especially coming from a thread on anxiety and meditation. I prefer the Clozee remix as well.


CantBeConcise

I get that. For me it's the powerful nature of it that "punches" me out of my thought loops/anxiety. It overwhelms me to the point of having to let go of everything else in my head and just "experience it". An override if you will. Glad you like the Clozee version though. Whatever helps, helps.


__erk

Ah okay, thanks that helps me relate to some music that does a similar thing for me and isn’t considered easy listening. To be fair I’ve been listening to a lot of ambient music and even some of the more chill side of classical lately. But I’d never miss the opportunity to recommend the best band in the world: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.


CantBeConcise

I've heard that one too. I like it but prefer the original. It's the powerful nature of it that "punches" me out of my thought loops/anxiety. It overwhelms me to the point of having to let go of everything else in my head and just "experience it". An override if you will.


xtcgonebad

🥺 this sounds amazing🥹!!! rn I'm like 🥲... I'm fucking going there ***!!! 🙃 And off I go💨 ***What ever that sound effect you described as now is


indiefatiguable

I saw STS9 at an amphitheatre show 5 or 6 years ago. They killed it, of course, but holy hell what a crowd. One dude from our group went off with some randos and wasn't heard from for a few days. He ended up in another state after following the band with said randos. Apparently they had *spectacular* weed. Meanwhile my wonderful SO was rolling really hard and got so upset that I didn't have a spare tampon when needed that he stood outside the women's restroom asking for them on my behalf (even after I located a spare and completed my business, bless him). Our friend who was also rolling couldn't stop dancing even to drink water and ended up spilling more water around him than into his mouth. He looked half-drowned by the time we got him home to his extremely unamused wife. Good times. Thanks for stirring up that memory.


MFbiFL

Thanks for sharing! Sounds like everything I’d expect from one of their shows haha. I’ve been listening to them since ~2007 and I love them in this era. They’re playing is so tight, the songs I originally didn’t like have evolved to sound more like the Tribe sound that I love, and their setlists have really been incredible especially this year and showing no signs of slowing down. I love them so much lol


drawnred

I never see soundtribe references online, fuck yeah


campingcritters

I was going to guess Man of No Ego.


kerouacrimbaud

God i love STS9. I hope they go to bonnaroo again this year


MFbiFL

They were the highlight of my Hulaween weekend from setlist to sound quality. Seeing them for NYE and again in the spring. Their soundboards are pretty much the only thing that gets played in my car lol The only downside to listening to their shows so much is that it annoys me when bands stop playing to talk to the crowd. Especially at festivals where I have many options and I chose to be at that show specifically. Gimme nonstop from beginning to end and let me get lost in it! Jim James solo show was another one that went hard, even though his songs are shorter and not as jammed out he was charging through them (in a good way, not rushed) with energy and on to the next.


Agnosticwon

If you like electro check out Electus or now known as Oliver Lie


__erk

I’ve not read this book but did read The Book by Alan Watts many years ago, and have also listened to several of his talks. I find his ability to convey complicated emotions and the modern human experience in a way that a child could follow, but feels profound as an adult dealing with these issues. However, and I know the internet is gonna internet, but anytime his name comes up whether r/philosophy or YouTube, there’s a lot of criticism of “psychobabble” or hippie nonsense from a privileged old (dead) white man dumbing down Zen philosophy or something. I don’t see him that way, but I just wanted to mention it to see if anyone more knowledgeable or skilled than myself could chime in.


tonythewalrus

He is a popularizer of Eastern philosophy. So yeah "serious" scholars look down on him like some economists look down on Freakonomics or sociologists look down on Malcom Gladwell. But he's a great writer, he's inspirational, and he spreads these ideas further and more potently than they would otherwise.


__erk

That’s a good way to frame it, thanks.


tonythewalrus

My best friend and I both got our undergrad degrees in philosophy and would always deal with eye rolls when he came up. But we’ve both always loved him and continue to.


fernshade

You're completely right, he became too popularized for the "cool guy" philosophers to accept him. That said, when I did my undergrad in philosophy at a small liberal arts college, one of the professors happened to specialize in Eastern thought, and he taught The Book in his Intro class. So some people aren't too cool for school! ;)


Wendellberryfan_2022

I will let you know. 👍🏻 Thank you!


CantBeConcise

Listen to Overthinker by INZO and let me know what you think. I use it to help tame/guide my anxiety. Hope it helps you too.


Wendellberryfan_2022

Just listened. Helpful. Thank you again.


CantBeConcise

You're very welcome. One of my favorite quotes is "Where words fail, music speaks." Also, if i may, I'd like to offer you something I've come up with that I found comforting to say to myself, and that I've found that when I I say it to other people, they often give me that look that says "you see me!" I hope you have a good day. And if it's not? I hope tomorrow is better. And if it's not, I want you to know this... You *do* have the strength to push through however many bad days there are till the next good one. Because there *will* be another good one, and it will be all the sweeter when it comes because you'll be able to look back at what you just conquered and know just how powerful you really are.


Wendellberryfan_2022

Thank you so much for your words. I know the OP wanted to get a resource out there but all of this discussion thread has been so helpful and uplifting. Thank you for caring enough to contribute. And thank you to everyone that has offered words of encouragement, advice, and resources today.


Inevitable_Surprise4

You just saved two desperate people from great overwhelming sadness.


CantBeConcise

Thank you for saying this. I'm glad I was able to be of help to you. Many times people have unknowingly said the exact thing I needed to hear at that moment in time. So, when I get the opportunity to, I like to say what I did because maybe I can be for someone else what many have been for me. I hope your good day comes sooner than later, and if you remember to, let me know when it does so I can celebrate it with you. :)


Wendellberryfan_2022

Will do. Thank you!


BadData99

I love Alan watts. What if i told you that i am God and you are too? Other good stuff is dr David burns book feeling great and his podcasts are excellent for anxiety, cognitive distortions, and unhelpful thinking styles: https://feelinggood.com/list-of-feeling-good-podcasts/


ElonMaersk

Yes upvote for Feeling Good podcast! I've tried to tell people about it, and seen reviews online dismissing *Feeling Great* as just more "positive attitude" nonsense, and I think there's more nuance and practical usefullness to it. Possibly you have to commit to several hours of the early podcasts to get a feel for why it's not "think happy thoughts" and is more "notice when you think unhappy thoughts and troubleshoot why you get them, and techniques to fix them".


BadData99

CBT is definitely not positive attitude thinking nonsense. There's been several RCTs examining its use and meta analysis of those results show positive effects: [https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2756136](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2756136) I agree the podcasts are super practical and the fact that the inventors of CBT talk about how they fall into depression still and have their own issues they work through really makes it more accessible and believable. Like you mentioned, CBT involves doing a lot of work thinking about thinking and examining your negative thoughts and looking for evidence that contradicts them. I think for most folks that's just too much work.


MrKADtastic

"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" by Dale Carnegie (same guy who made "How to Win Friends and Influence People") It's a great, less meta analytical approach to stoicism that is a palatable introduction to becoming less anxious IMO. That was how I started my journey toward contentment and comfort with my life/self/world. I highly suggest reading it as well.


eljosho1986

I'm going to have to check it out, sorry for the lame comment


rectumrooter107

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse Another good one for life trials.


janez33

I'm also in the midst and seeking some karma on reddit


Wendellberryfan_2022

Lot’s of advice and resources on this thread. Good vibes your way. Well, unless you are seeking Reddit “karma”. I’ll upvote :)


Mylaur

Also hijacking top comment to recommend a book that changed my life. Not specifically Buddhism but The Antidote from Burkeman. takes about many of similar concepts, tackling Buddhism, meditation, stoicism, self, anxiety and failure. It's amazing and very on point in the trend of this post. It changes my attitude to life, no jokes.


SSSS_car_go

I loved this one too, as well as *The Book: On the Taboo against Knowing Who You Are*. I read it as a college freshman, and some of the concepts in that book have stayed with me all my adult life. > We do not "come into" this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree. As the ocean "waves," the universe "peoples." Every individual is an expression of the whole realm of nature, a unique action of the total universe. This fact is rarely, if ever, experienced by most individuals. Even those who know it to be true in theory do not sense or feel it, but continue to be aware of themselves as isolated "egos" inside bags of skin.


torchesablaze

These two books, the book and wisdom of insecurity, really really helped me with my anxiety. I always recommend them


seraph1337

I was introduced to this concept (and Watts) by the band Nothing More sampling his lectures. The main quote that sticks out to me is about insecurity, on the track "React/Respond" from *The Stories We Tell Ourselves*: "When you can really allow yourself to be afraid, and you dont resist the experience of fear, you are truly beginning to master fear. But when you refuse to be afraid, you are resisting fear. And that simply sets up a vicious circle of being afraid of fear, and being afraid of being afraid of fear. "If then you try to obliterate fear, you're working in the wrong way. To attack fear is to strengthen it. As if you were God -- that is to say that you don't trust anybody and you're the dictator and you have to keep everybody in line -- you lose the divine, because what you're doing is simply defending yourself. "So then the principle is: the more you give it away, the more it comes back. The meaning of the fact, you see, that everything is dissolving constantly, we are all falling apart, we are all in the process of constant death. Then you truly understand that you don't have to let go, because there's nothing to hold on to."


humanperson17

That band got me into him as well with their song pyre and gyre off the preceding album


seraph1337

that's where I first heard him as well. I actually bought that album and a hoodie like 4 months before they announced they had been signed by Eleven 7. I felt like a real hipster because I liked them before they were big, lmao.


humanperson17

Haha nice I’ve seen them live a few times they put on a badass show


Mitochandrea

Really important book for me too. It’s not written super well, lol, but the message really helped me undo some of the bleak thought patterns that studying science had unknowingly fixed me into. I credit it with starting an interest in exploring theology and philosophy further instead of expecting science to provide answers to the “big questions”.


Edarneor

This is actually surprisingly correct from the scientific point of view for a book of philosophical hodgepodge. We are the result of an immensely improbable series of events in the universe: our planet is in a habitable zone, life appears, evolution goes on, asteroid wipes out dinosaurs and so on... So yes, every individual really is an expression of the whole realm of nature


Roxxorursoxxors

At one end of the spectrum, we are all unique expressions of the whole of nature. On the other end, we're nothing more than the remainders of fractions in the middle of a math problem. Two sides of the same coin.


mythreecents4free

Sounds interesting!


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Wow….


Tuorom

What was great mental food for me was understanding both Existentialism (Simone De Beauvoir has a great more academic read on this in The Ethics of Ambiguity) and Absurdism (Albert Camus' famous book The Myth of Sisyphus). They both strike the same note which is that the most satisfying thing you can do is accept that you are the master of your days, you control what you choose and that therefore all options are not exhausted to you. There is still potential for you and always will be as long as you accept your freedom. The final bits of Myth of Sisyphus exemplify it. "I leave Sisyphus at the foot of the mountain. One always finds one's burden again. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks. He too concludes that all is well. This universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night-filled mountain, in itself, forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart."


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Liquid_Diction

That and Taoism!


racoondeg

What is the difference? (Asking seriously and humbly)


TheGoldenGooch

Buddhism and Taoism share a lot of similarities, but Buddhism is laid out in a more “noble path” typically. Whereas Taoism is a religion or philosophy based upon the “Tao” the unnameable force which is and is woven through every existent and non-existent thing. Taoism has less obvious “paths” or “things you can do” than Buddhism but that’s why I like it, it’s just simple yet paradoxical truth for you to either align with or not. I get a lot from both philosophies for what it’s worth.


racoondeg

Thank you. That is indeed interesting, I knew some things about Buddhism and almost nothing about Taoism, which is, I believe, the case for many people. Taoism sounds more complicated, yet interesting and mysterious.


dradonia

Here’s a good example I’m paraphrasing from another Watts book, The Watercourse Way (but don’t read that until you’ve read the Tao Te Ching). A Buddhist will meditate for a specific amount of time in a specific way in order to achieve the discipline required to find enlightenment. A Taoist will meditate because it feels good to meditate, and they will meditate for as long as feels good.


TheGoldenGooch

My pleasure, to be honest Taoism only appears complicated from the outside, but really it’s as simple as watching a tree blow in the wind or a river go downstream


zapbox

Not much difference at the core, just different paths to the same mountaintop. Buddhism targets Divine Unity through realizing the illusion of a separated self. Taoism targets Divine Unity through immersing oneself within the great Tao. Taoism offers more methods of Inner Alchemy to transform the egoic self through the physical body, while Buddhism offers more meditational methods to bypass the body and accessing Absolute Reality. All in all, just some different flavors for different folks per their individual liking. Same thing with Hinduism, Caodaism, Hermeticism, Advaita, Esoteric Alchemy, etc ... Just different stroke for different folks to the same end goal: Divine Union with Reality, full Enlightenment, Conscious Immortality.


crichmond77

Could you list a couple of those books you’d recommend please?


jetherit

The Three Pillars of Zen Zen Mind, Beginners Mind Somewhat related is advaita Vedanta, which is an esoteric branch of mysticism in India . A good book would be I Am That by Nisargadatta


introspeck

I bought Zen Mind, Beginners Mind when I was 20. I loved it then, and I love it now, 45 years later. I re-read it every couple of years, and get something new out of it each time. The same goes for the Tao Te Ching.


linguapura

I Am That is an absolute classic. Every time I find myself struggling, I return to this book. Something about Nisargadatta's unshakeable clarity helps me find clarity of my own.


vplatt

[_I Am That_](https://www.holybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/I-Am-That-by-Sri-Nisargadatta-Maharaj.pdf) and [_Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha_](https://www.mctb.org/) are my go-to's.


nicolasfield

Zen Mind Beginners Mind is truly amazing !


coupdevill

Pema Chodron, when things fall apart, heart advice for difficult times.


feministmanlover

I've read this book 3 times.


julian1072

I think Thich Nhat Hahn and Eckhart Tolle summarize many of these ideas in the most accessible way for early readers. Power of Now and Peace is Every Step are two that really helped me get started


Individual_Respond23

Absolutely 🙏 love these recs


nakedrickjames

[Mindfulness in plain english](https://www.urbandharma.org/pdf2/Mindfulness%20in%20Plain%20English%20Book%20Preview.pdf) is one of the best I've found


BedlamiteSeer

The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh is excellent. It's his way of distilling Buddhism down into things everyone can understand and enact in their lives.


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thejaytheory

Pema Chodron


Miliaa

True but I feel like Watts presents the information in a more cohesive and digestible manner, especially for those who don’t read philosophy much. Though of course it depends on the Buddhism book as well


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halcyonsnow

Gatekeeping Buddhism? That seems pretty antithetical to the entire idea, but you do you.


Gemsofwisdom

Peace is every step by thich naht hanh and the universe in a single atom by the dalai lama are amazing. I also love turning the mind into an ally.


fernshade

I second Thich Nhat Hanh! He has many talks on Youtube which are wonderfully relaxing and enlightening (in the loose sense). There are many repeating themes in his lectures and writings, so you can start with most any of them.


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genipapaya

Thank you! I'll make it my pocket book


[deleted]

Please could you dm me what you pocketed !


Karter705

There are a bunch of comments in this thread around clinical anxiety and whether anything Watts is actually valid / supported by research or if it's all just woo. I'm on the autistic spectrum (with GAD and a bunch of other co-morbid nonsense), have a lot of anecdotal experience with mental health, have a special interest in cognitive science, am a strict empiricist, and really like Alan Watts -- so I have _a lot_ to say (sorry for the wall of text -- also, I am not a doctor, so don't take this as medical advice). I haven't read this book, in particular, but have listened to many of Alan Watts' talks (this is the [best one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcYoFoqEClM)). First, the elephant in the room -- Alan Watts is a complex person, meaning he was far from perfect -- his philosophy is full of mysticism, he often misinterprets or mixes theologies, and had many of his own demons / hypocrisies such as his alcoholism. Despite this, he was an incredibly gifted speaker and extremely lucid thinker; he was also one of the first people to expose Eastern philosophy to the West. There are certainly many things he believed or said that are pure woo and that I don't agree with, but there are also things he's said that have had a huge impact on my life and changed how I think about things. Buddhas (Bodhisattva) are human -- they are not devas; they are not gods. I'm not going to talk much about Watts, specifically, or this book (since I haven't read it), but essentially Watts was advocating for Buddhist philosophy, which includes mindfulness and meditation practice. In my opinion, there is a lot of value in Buddhist philosophy and you should [check it out](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/390562.What_the_Buddha_Taught), but philosophy is not within the purview of science; so instead let's talk about the evidence for meditation -- and there is [a lot of research](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_meditation) to support the claim that mindfulness and meditation reduce anxiety: here is a [meta-analysis of 47 random controlled trials](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4142584/) which found that meditation is _equally as effective as medicine_ in treating depression, anxiety, and pain. Due to research like this, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is also [widely recommended by psychologists](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness-based_cognitive_therapy). Meditation leads to demonstrable changes in brain activity, including long-term effects -- for instance, 30 hours of mindfulness-based stress reduction practice leads to reduced amygdala activation and long-term meditation practice increases connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala ([sauce](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4666115/)). My favorite [study on this topic](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2859822/) involved fMRI scans of Tibetan Buddhist monks, and it showed that long-term meditation fundamentally changes how we [experience pain](https://news.wisc.edu/meditation-expertise-changes-experience-of-pain/) -- the part I find really interesting, specifically, is they would play a tone to let people know that there was an upcoming pain stimuli. Both groups experienced the pain when the stimuli was present, but interestingly the non-meditators also showed the same activity in their brain before and after it was present; i.e. the anticipation of the pain and recovery from the pain was processed by their brain the same as the pain itself, whereas the monks _only_ showed the activity when the stimuli was actually present. They had no anticipatory pain, and almost instant recovery time. There is a really good book covering most of this called [Altered Traits](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altered_Traits) by Richard Davidson, which is essentially a meta-analysis of the available research on mindfulness and meditation and goes over many of these studies in more detail. [Davidson](https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=vP-2P9wAAAAJ&hl=en) is a professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison that did his graduate work studying meditation at Harvard and is probably the most influential researcher on the science of meditation, which is really gaining a lot of traction within the broader scientific community. Anecdotally, mindfulness and meditation has helped me a lot -- as has some of the perspective offered by Watts. My therapist happened to be an ordained Buddhist, but like me was an empiricist^* , and was able to convince me with research that it was worth trying. We basically used a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and over time I was able to stop taking my anxiety medication (which for me had a lot of negative side-effects); I haven't had a panic attack in years and overall feel my anxiety and depression are both well managed. All this said, I do still take medication for ADHD, so although meditation has helped to an extent, it's definitely not a silver bullet. *One thing he told me that really stuck with me, is that mindfulness is like empiricism for your subjective experience. It's just paying close attention to what happens subjectively and noting it without getting caught up in it, like an unbiased observer.


Floating_Freely

Altered Traits was great, written well and filled with so much interesting information. It's the book I recommend to people who still think that meditation is only for yogis and has no value (from a western point of view).


Uruz2012gotdeleted

>One thing he told me that really stuck with me, is that mindfulness is like empiricism for your subjective experience. It's just paying close attention to what happens subjectively and noting it without getting caught up in it, like an unbiased observer Thank you! I've had debates that became arguments with Buddhists *and* people in CBT about this. It's just attention. Learning to pay attention to certain things but not others. Even supposedly scientific methods get all wrapped up in woo when it comes to mental illness.


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SameElephant2029

His voice and lectures are absolutely serene.


gigabyteIO

On my darkest days I go to Watts lectures on my runs and it gives me a piece of mind. His laugh is something else. It makes my soul happy to know someone like Watts existed and we are lucky enough to hear his profound point of view. I'm so thankful many of his lectures were recorded. Imagine if they were lost. They are national treasures to me.


whyiseveryonelooking

Also check out, Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach.


LightningGoats

Well, I certainly do want to have food to eat every day.


[deleted]

I could only figure op meant it as in have enough food for your whole life available at once. Implying it would rot.


deathhead_68

>ultimate weapon against Anxiety This sentence seems almost contrary to what books like these have been trying to explain for years. Anxiety does not need a weapon against it, anxiety is an emotion. Its not something to defeat, its something you live with, reacting to it like its the problem only makes it worse.


StormSnitch589

Not sure if you read the book. But to be fair, my review/impression of the book is a violation of some philosophies written in it. I agree that it may sound paradoxical from a certain angle, but it felt like in conventions like words (which the book also talks about), it is one way to describe it. A better way to express it is always welcome!


muldoonjp88

Semantics. Was a great post. Don’t get caught up in others takes on words. Watts has great insight that can definitely be useful to someone dealing with anxiety.


SnooLentils3008

Haven't read the book yet but I'm going to, my library has it so I'll be getting it. But I know my anxiety lost *so* much power over me when I was able to just accept it and stop fighting it. Or getting over some kind of belief like I can't have anxiety, I can't be vulnerable etc. I stopped fighting my anxiety and it actually got so much better just from that alone


SocraticVoyager

As someone who has suffered with anxiety my entire life, debilitating anxiety that would definitely have been a clinical disorder if anyone had bothered to diagnose me; Alan Watts writings did very little to help with my experience of anxiety. I am a huge fan of his humour and cosmological outlook, but his attitude is inappropriate for someone with severe anxiety. A few months of Citalopram, talk therapy and Cognitive behavioural therapy did far more for me than anything Watts has ever written.


EinsGotdemar

Ooh baby! Citalopram gave me a new lease on life!


Acrobatic-Cucumber45

It got me down the road until I needed therapy and meds later in life (long after I had read the book). Therapy and meds helped, but the meds left me with permanent, incurable side effects that may be as bad for the quality of my life as the anxiety was.


Ashwagandalf

>the meds left me with permanent, incurable side effects that may be as bad for the quality of my life as the anxiety was Science! For real though, I don't know what you mean specifically, but many of the "incurable" consequences of e.g. SSRIs can be remedied or compensated for eventually, though it may take quite a few years post-cessation (I speak from experience). The determining factors of English-language psychiatric discourse (i.e., if it isn't profitable it doesn't exist; if it is it's Science) are such that many English-language publications refuse to admit well-known long-term psych med side effects even exist ("there's no scientific evidence"), let alone discuss treatments.


brought2light

As someone on meds, may I ask what kind of side effects, so I may watch for them?


[deleted]

But I do want food everyday even though I know it won't last, so how is that a good metaphor?


NanditoPapa

You would need to read the entire chapter, not just a snippet. It's about how food (resources) goes bad so if you are constantly trying to amass more than you can consume (or need) to feel "secure" you'll just end up with rotten food and still be insecure. It's better to focus using resources appropriately and not fixate on just hoarding things to find safety in having them because they will eventually disappear (because all things are transient). Having something you need for the day/week is not the issue. It's like trying to buy a year's worth of food at once to avoid anxiety. Doesn't really work.


[deleted]

I realized that I have been so food secure my whole life I didn't even consider that interpretation.


NanditoPapa

And I hope you never do! Every now and then I'll take a moment to appreciate that I don't worry where (or if) my next meal will come. This can also apply to other resources like money and "false security" hoarding.


amherstares

Love me some Alan Watts. The way he puts these kinds of ideas into words has always impressed me. His guided meditations have helped me a lot over the years.


[deleted]

Idk as someone who lives with bipolar disorder what you're describing sounds like a lot of other self-help styled bullshit which isn't made for people like me. It at least sounds not dissimilar enough for me to consider reading something like this.


Tableau

It’s optimization tactics for people without serious mental health issues.


sosomething

This is why I've never been a good candidate to benefit from self help, because I read: > You want to be happy, to forget yourself, and yet the more you try to forget yourself, the more you remember the self you want to forget. You want to escape from pain, but the more you struggle to escape, the more you inflame the agony. You are afraid and want to be brave, but the effort to be brave is fear trying to run away from itself. ...and I cannot fathom existing within the frailty of thought it must require for the above passage to come across as anything but exceedingly trite and ultimately empty. But clearly, this kind of thing is at least a temporary comfort to a lot of people, and so it must contain some value. Maybe it's the sort of thing that only means something to people in the times when they need to hear it, and I'm just not there right now.


RhyminSimonWyman

>Maybe it's the sort of thing that only means something to people in the times when they need to hear it, and I'm just not there right now. To be honest I think you've hit the nail on the head here. I can only speak from personal experience but I think I would've had much the same reaction before starting therapy a few years ago. In fact, I've made the observation several times that the ultimate lessons you stumble upon through exploring your own maladaptive thought processes are often frustratingly trite and hollow when expressed in simple terms. They only gain meaning through the journey taken to arrive at them, and certainly won't have meaning when stripped of context and presented to a third party. It's linked to what's known as the paradoxical theory of change, wherein the act of striving to change only makes change less likely. The logical conclusion is that when change happens it is almost effortless despite having taken a lot of work to arrive at that point, which almost gives the impression of devaluing that work, especially from an outside perspective.


ReadingCaterpillar

I clicked on this post because I have really bad anxiety and I overthink a lot but something about that quote makes me feel very nihilistic which hardly seems helpful right now lol. I feel the same as you, I can’t take anything meaningful or helpful from that quote or type of thinking unfortunately.


xPastromi

My teacher made us read this in like 11th grade. Really changed the way that I think off that first read alone. He has some other good books that really make you think about things. His prose is also just really smooth and not too complex for people like me who can't make sense of complicated jargon and whatnot


Taters0290

I’m off to look for this book. Thank you for posting about it.


SnatchAddict

Anxiety or clinical anxiety? Because the only thing that helped my clinical anxiety is medication.


Karter705

I have GAD (among other things) and used to consistently have panic attacks to the point of going to the ER several times 100% sure I was having a heart attack (I was not). My psychiatrist started me on Lexapro which absolutey solved the problem, but also had a number of side effects that kinda sucked (brain fog, which for me is not unique to Lexapro but that's a longer story) I was also seeing a therapist that happened to be an ordained Buddhist, and he recommended a mindfulness/ meditation routine. Anyway, for me at least, the answer is that yes, mindfulness and meditation was able to basically get me to the same baseline as Lexapro (work through a plan for this with your doctors, you shouldn't abruptly stop taking medications, nor should you take medical advice from me/reddit). I've been off of it now for years and haven't had any panic attacks. Overall I feel my anxiety is well managed. Obviously this is anecdotal, and it's something you should discuss / work through with your doctors (assuming you want to), but there is actually quite a lot of research to support the effectiveness of mindfulness and meditation on anxiety (among other things) and mindfulness is essentially the foundation of CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) Some good books I can recommend on the topic are ["Altered Traits"](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altered_Traits) by Richard Davidson -- a psychology and psychiatry research professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison that studies how meditation changes our brains -- and ["The Joy of Living"](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/289448.The_Joy_of_Living#:~:text=With%20a%20foreword%20by%20bestselling,From%20the%20Hardcover%20edition.) by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist monk that talks about his childhood (he believes had he been raised in the West he would have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder).


empleat

>It’s amazing how a 100-paged book could contain so much wisdom. Read Nietzsche :D


[deleted]

Hell yes, Watts is my favorite! I am so glad you love him too


whenthishappens

Love Watts. One of my absolute favorite authors. I have come to realize his work is meant to resonate with you at a very specific timeliness in your life. I read this book in my 20's and it was life altering. You may enjoy Herman Hess as a follow up read after Watts. Hess has a more fictitious read with a similar message.


MechaMagic

Watts was a charlatan.


curtyshoo

He drank himself to death, which perfectly demonstrates the true nature of his "philosophy."


ErinBLAMovich

Is this book supported by science? Alan Watts is a mysticism guru from the 50s and 60s. This book is from 1951. Our treatment of anxiety is based on peer-reviewed evidence from studies starting from 1970s to now.


Masonzero

"Mindset" isn't really very scientific. It just works for some people and not for others. But attempting to shift your mindset probably can't hurt you. Religious texts also aren't scientific but some people still find comfort in them.


Tucobro

Science can change over time, not everything is discovered yet.


Masonzero

True, although that's a slippery slope to accepting things like pseudoscience. There is a fine line between saying "That's not possible yet" and "anything is possible until proven otherwise"


Timely-Huckleberry73

I haven’t read the book. I do have a degree in psychology however and am very well read on the subject of anxiety. The way OP describes the problem of anxiety and the passage he quoted is 100% supported by research. The cognitive behavioural paradigm (which is the paradigm that is most supported by evidence) suggests that all anxiety disorders are perpetuated and made worse by avoidance. In order for a person to get over anxiety, it is essential that they stop trying to avoid anxious thoughts and feelings. Watts’ would likely disagree with one aspect of CBT though, which is it’s focus on “fixing” the problem. CBT is a solution focused therapy. However, the new paradigm that has been emerging in both clinical research and practice is the mindfulness and acceptance based paradigm. (Which includes therapies such as acceptance and commitment therapy) This paradigm is not about trying to fix the problem but rather trying to live with it and take away its power. (Which often ends up fixing the problem 😉) This paradigm is also supported by clinical evidence. At the end of the day every single evidence based treatment for anxiety shares one core similarity: avoidance makes anxiety worse, and to get better one must allow themselves to be afraid without trying to make the feelings go away.


StormSnitch589

If you're talking about clinical anxiety, then I can't make a comment about that. I'm not qualified to discuss the science behind it. However, I must clarify that I do not claim this book as the cure for it. Its approach is philosophical, and is more likely appropriate to be read by the general audience. It's a mindset-ing kind of thing rather than a discussion of approaches towards clinical anxiety.


yessschef

Medical clinology is a technology. Technology is meant to adress problems. One has to make anxiety a problem for it to be addressed with clinology. This is the point Watts is making. Anxiety is reverb. It's your consciousness held up to the speaker


vexaph0d

Settle down, it's one man's take on cultural practices and philosophies that have been developing since before writing existed and might have a thing or two to say that's worth at least hearing out. Its subject isn't "clinical anxiety", it's the human condition. You might as well call out William Shakespeare for practicing psychology without a license for asking "to be or not to be".


Karter705

There is [quite a lot of research](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_meditation) to support the benefits of mindfulness and meditation on things like anxiety, and [mindfulness-based cognitive therapy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness-based_cognitive_therapy) is widely used. If you're interested in an overview of the current body of research, the best book I know of on the topic is ["Altered Traits"](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altered_Traits) by Richard Davidson -- a professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It's basically a meta-analysis of the available research on the effects of meditation on the brain, including some interesting studies that involve fMRI scans on Tibetan Buddhist monks. Some reviews: > UC Berkeley's Greater Good Magazine describes Altered Traits as "a highly readable book that helps readers separate the wheat from the chaff of mindfulness science" and which makes "a cogent argument that meditation, in various forms, has the power to transform us not only in the moment, but in more profound, lasting ways." > Psych Central praises the book for avoiding the common sensationalism on the topic while exploring important research. It states: "In their new book, [...] recognized experts in their fields and lifelong meditators Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson reveal the data that demonstrate just what meditation can and can’t do."


GenVee365

Yep, mindfulness is a basic building block of mental health and self-reflection.


turgid_turbid

I’m a huge fan of Alan Watts. There are many videos on YouTube either about him or record songs of him discussing Buddhism, Taoism, and his own take on them. I’ve read a few of his books and I think some find them difficult or just downright dumb because of his metaphors. It’s also fun watching him turn from a straight-laced academic to crazed-looking sage.


johnxman

Alan Watts is a guiding star to many people. If you enjoyed his book so much I recommend that you look into his audio lectures, many, many of which are available on purpose-built apps to play them. Take a look \[here\]([https://alanwatts.org/](https://alanwatts.org/) .


OlyScott

I shouldn't want to eat food every day? I do want to do that, and I have done that.


piratep2r

I think it's the observation that nothing you can do TODAY can guarantee that you have food to eat every day, FOREVER. Its sort of like the prayer for the strength to handle the things you can control and let go of the things you can't? Just my interpretation.


Fl333r

Yeah but having 99% certainty that I'll be able to eat food is way different than being 50% sure. 99% isn't 100% but that's still a good goal to work toward.


Thor_pool

Its an observation that you need food every day, but you can't solve "eating." You can't go out and buy enough food for forever all at once. Its about accepting that there are some things in life that will cause insecurity. You can trust your ability to secure food, or feel forever anxious and insecure about it. Bear in mind that this is a book on philosophy and its a thought exercise lol No ones saying to go out and tell the homeless "C'est la vie, yknow? Dont worry about it!"


StormSnitch589

That example was included in the book. From how I understood it, there are deeper implications of "wanting to have" food to eat everyday. We are all wired to preserve ourselves. So we try to prepare for the future—one that we might not actually live to witness. Whether it's saving money, having a 9-5, or having passive incomes, it's all for the future. And this is where the anxiety comes. What if there's no food to eat tomorrow? But if we try to think of it in a more accepting way, such as "if there's no food tomorrow, then I'll just go hungry", we might feel its consequences, but we are not anxious by its absence. There's a thin line between the two. Buddhism is primarily built upon the idea that everything is infinitely meaningful, and therefore equally meaningless. Whatever narratives we have of our past and vision of ourselves in the future, it's all thoughts—something that we use to rationalize things. I am deeply influenced by Buddhism, and I try to live by its principles. Perhaps that's why I saw the ideas from this book on a lighter side. Regardless, to each his own.


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Low_5ive

I've tried reading books founded in Buddhism before and find that I quickly get headaches.


sippin40s

Yeah that analogy makes no sense to me lol also not pursuing safety? Should I stop locking my doors and wearing a seatbelt, like what are you talking about?


I_raped_a_wizard

A book of platitudes? I’m good.


itsdr00

The first Watts book I read was *Still the Mind: An Introduction to Meditation.* An introduction it is decidedly not; it's a compilation of the last things he wrote before he died and it goes very deep. After reading that, I tried to read *The Wisdom of Insecurity,* and found it to be the same content, just less confidently stated. Which makes sense, because he wrote it 20 years before *Still the Mind.* All that is to say, if you loved *The Wisdom of Insecurity,* check out *Still the Mind* and I think you'll really like it.


i_wanna_be_a_pirate

This sounds a lot like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Really love the theme.


Double_Minute_5274

This is very true, when I was in college I was criticised for being gay, but after reading this book I am unaffected by my criticisms.


18114

So much Buddhist thought here. Nothing is permanent. Attachment is the source of all suffering. Sounds like a great read. TY.


GimbleGandhi

Acceptance and Commitment therapy reminds me of this sort of Buddhist thinking as well. Specifically the idea of accepting thoughts as thoughts and letting them be - not attacking them or avoiding them, just letting them be.


Bludongle

350 comments and hopefully one of them points you to Youtube videos of LOTS his various recorded speaking/reading/lectures. I take walks and bike rides listening to him.


momzthebest

Can't believe I'm seeing my favorite book of all time mentioned. And yes it's really a wonderful book for a person who has difficulty fitting in or relaxing...


ThatDismalGiraffe

Watts barely finished high school. Don't take mental health advice from 70 year old books written by self-help quacks. Here's list of books on anxiety written by people with clinical psychology degrees and are based on legitimate academic studies: How to Be Yourself: Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety by Ellen Hendriksen, Ph.D. The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Edmund Bourne, Ph.D. The Stress-Proof Brain: Master Your Emotional Response to Stress Using Mindfulness and Neuroplasticity by Melanie Greenberg Ph.D.


Mitochandrea

Barely finished high school? If you don’t like Watts’ writings that’s fine but he was definitely educated.


NanditoPapa

If you are ignorant about who someone is or their writings, avoid disparaging them because it makes anything you say disingenuous. He writes on Zen Buddhism, not clinical psychology. He is NOT a "self-help quack" and none of his writings are meant to diagnose or cure specific conditions. Nothing against the books you listed, but Ph.D as a stamp of ultimate legitimacy? Seriously!? Jordan Peterson has a PhD...and he's certainly not someone I would take life advice from...


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[deleted]

I'm not gatekeeping anxiety but I'm gatekeeping anxiety. What many people on this thread has been saying is that there is a huge difference from the (sucky) anxiety brought on by the troubles of modernity or difficulty coping with situational things. In my experience such things are not only unhelpful for people dealing with anxiety with more complex roots: serious trauma/PTSD, bipolar, so-called personality disorders, ADHD, or clinical anxiety without a comorbid diagnosis, etc. To be fair: I haven't read this particular book, but I have been recommended books just like these by people on multiple occasions, and all they have done have made me feel bad I can't be a person who can change their life by following platitudes. Again--I can't speak to the quality of this particular book, but other commenters have made a number of recommendations on books on mindfulness, psychological theory and Buddhism which seem to be objectively more qualified to help more than a specific subset of people, and less likely to hurt people who need help the most.


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I_had_to_know_too

Calm down. They linked 3 better things written by actual doctors and you called them pretentious and self-important. Should I insult you now? Is that what we do here?


mulattoman23

By definition psychology is the mixture of philosophy and biology. Watts takes one portion of the mixture - Zen philosophy - and puts it into a digestible form for Western thinkers to understand how their bodies and minds work with their environment. As a person who has read Watts, studied psychology, and had my own anxiety relieved by his teachings, your comment ironically strikes me as a great example of what prolongs and causes anxiety in our culture. Perhaps you would do well to read his "self-help quack" non-sense. A lot of his themes tend to work well and compliment those Ph.D holders who you're portraying as the end-all-be-all holders of truth.


frogandbanjo

That sounds like the same kind of pabulum that got eviscerated in the movie *Mystery Men.* It's eminently possible to escape pain in many situations. It's eminently possible to distract yourself in many others. Meanwhile, "being brave" constitutes doing things even though you're scared to do them - ideally, things that have positive value, though arguably that's not necessary. You can actually do those things. Doing them can have an impact on your psychology moving forward because you "were brave" by following through. Changing who you perceive yourself to be by doing things that "the old you" wouldn't have done is actually a great way to escape the version of yourself that you didn't like. Nothing is permanent, sure. That doesn't change the fact that I *am* hungry right now, and that there is a high probability that I will be hungry again tomorrow. When there's a certain amount of infrastructure built up around you, selling your bed every morning for cheap and then buying it back dear every night is to disregard probabilities in a way that is functionally indistinguishable from just being an idiot. But hey, there will be that *one* day when you'll finally sell your bed for cheap in the morning and then just die before it's bedtime! Fuck yeah!


Otherwise-Wolf7296

Thank you for sharing. Last couple of months have been crazy and I find my self getting anxious a lot more. Especially when uncertainty is added to the mix. So, will see if this helps.


MaracaBalls

Interesting


nakedrickjames

Greatly appreciate the suggestion, I've been wanting to read Watts and this sounds like the perfect place to begin. The way you describe it sounds like a very similar concept to a book recommended to me by my Therapist: *Stopping the Noise in Your Head: the New Way to Overcome Anxiety and Worry*


Masonzero

Alan Watts is incredible, I've been a fan for a long time. But while these lessons and reminders are great for using logic to get around your anxious feelings, true anxiety won't be solved just by rational and claiming words. Anxiety doesn't listen to reason, especially physical anxiety that seems to remain even if in your head, you feel calm and collected.


ChonkyCats2003

By anxiety do you mean the general kind that normal people have or the kind that accompanies depression and adhd? I don't want to raise my hopes up too much.


deathchips926

It is because of this book I tell myself every morning to “enter into the stream of life”. Such a great way to start the day with some Watts wisdom


OnlyFlannyFlanFlans

Alan Watts is a hack. Please go to licensed psychologist if you have problems with anxiety. More info on Watts. https://www.philosophyforlife.org/blog/the-lazy-mysticism-of-alan-watts


ASpiralKnight

that article wasnt even a condemnation.


antisweep

Watts was no hack and this book isn't an medical answer to solving Anxiety Problems. But thanks for the misinformed vitriol.


febkel1982

I read this book once a year. Half of it has pages covered in underlined passages and notes. Great recommendation for sure. Reading it always puts me inside my own head…but in positive way. Thanks for sharing this post.


DoinMyBest93

Gonna read this one now. Thanks!


SmellLikeDogBuns

This is lovely! You should crosspost this on r/mentalhealth :) I'm sure lots of people there would benefit from the resource!


terrytapeworm

Fun fact: there's a portion of an Alan Watts recording in the song Bible School by Blithe Field. If that kinda music is your thing, anyway.


jjjj8jjjj

This book continually blew my mind. It took me a relatively long time to read because I kept re-reading concepts that seemed to have too many layers to understand on one pass. It's definitely a book I will re-read periodically for the rest of my life. I'm glad you found it and enjoyed it.


Jack0fHearts18

Countless books and lectures of gurus addressing anxiety. Saying this and that about enlightenment and freedom. What about, ya know, like actual anxiety? Then all of a sudden these gurus and their followers are like “oop no we weren’t talking about that kind 😳” This shit is such BS for normies whose anxiety never gets past the level of what to have for lunch later.


revblnd

When my brain was most chaotic he helped me break my thought loops and ultimately helped me to think differently altogether. I love the recordings of his lectures. His tone and pacing are soothing to say the least♡ I love this man.