Andrea Wachter, a psychotherapist and meditation teacher, shares her journey battling anxiety and offers powerful coping strategies. She emphasizes the importance of self-compassion and mindfulness in recognizing and managing anxious thoughts. Listeners learn practical tools like focused breathing and reframing negative thoughts. Wachter also explores embracing emotions, including anger, as a pathway to emotional well-being, all while guiding toward a more fulfilling and satisfying life.
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Andrea's Anxiety Journey
Andrea Wachter struggled with anxiety and used substances to cope.
A class about "presence" and Eckhart Tolle's work helped her find relief.
insights INSIGHT
Anxiety Manifestations
Anxiety manifests physically (e.g., pit in stomach, shaking) and mentally (worrisome thoughts).
It often involves "what-ifs" about the future, fueled by past experiences.
insights INSIGHT
Path of Anxiety
The "path of anxiety" involves sensations, worrisome thoughts, self-blame, and disapproval of anxiety.
Recognizing this path allows choosing an alternate path with anxiety relief tools.
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In 'The Power of Now', Eckhart Tolle discusses the importance of living in the present moment to achieve spiritual enlightenment. The book draws from various spiritual traditions, including Buddhism and mysticism, to explain how people's emotional problems are rooted in their identification with their minds. Tolle argues that the present moment is the only truly real time and that past and future are mere mental constructs. He provides methods for relaxation and meditation to help readers anchor themselves in the present, such as avoiding multitasking, spending time in nature, and letting go of worries about the future. The book also introduces concepts like the 'pain-body' and the distinction between one's thoughts and true self, emphasizing the need to recognize and separate from the destructive influence of the mind[2][4][5].
How to Change
The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
Katy Milkman
In this ground-breaking book, Katy Milkman reveals a proven path to help readers move from where they are to where they want to be. Drawing on her original research and the work of her world-renowned scientific collaborators, Milkman shares strategic methods for identifying and overcoming common barriers to change, such as impulsivity, procrastination, and forgetfulness. The book offers innovative approaches like 'temptation bundling,' using timely reminders, and creating 'set-it-and-forget-it systems' to make change more achievable. It emphasizes the importance of tailoring solutions to specific roadblocks and using science to stack the deck in favor of successful change.
Do the Work
Steven Pressfield
Many of the most painful or troubling emotions we experience are reactions to events that have actually happened - but one powerful and sometimes paralyzing feeling can be provoked by things as yet to occur. Say hello to anxiety.
Psychotherapist and meditation teacher Andrea Wachter spent much of her life being stalked by the physical and mental manifestations of anxiety - the brain fog and the pit of the stomach dread of something bad looming on the horizon. She's amassed a wealth of strategies to overcome the thoughts and sensations that make up anxiety and she explains them to Dr Laurie Santos.
The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos 
