Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson

Impermanence Anxiety: How to Live While Letting Go

Aug 28, 2023

01:07:13

Snipd AI

Discover the fears related to change and impermanence anxiety. Explore the impact of embracing impermanence on living fully in the present moment. Learn about strategies for managing uncertainty and embracing impermanence. Examine the importance of appreciating relationships and dealing with existential thoughts. Explore the concept of observing change on a micro time scale and deepening awareness. Discover insights on becoming more resilient to impermanence and letting go.

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Quick takeaways

Embracing impermanence enables us to live a more fulfilled and meaningful life.

Fully investing in relationships, projects, and experiences requires courage and leads to greater resilience.

Developing awareness and acceptance of change through mindfulness practices can help navigate life's transitions with resilience and peace.

Deep dives

Embracing Impermanence and Letting Go

This podcast episode explores the concept of impermanence and how to become more resilient in the face of constant change. It emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the reality of impermanence, which can lead to feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. The episode discusses the two levels of impermanence: macro impermanence, which encompasses the broad sweep of time, and micro impermanence, which refers to the ever-changing nature of the present moment. It explores the Buddhist perspective on impermanence and highlights the misconception that impermanence makes life inherently suffering, when in fact it is only suffering when we try to cling to what is inevitably slipping away. The episode also touches upon terror management theory, which examines how humans cope with the fear of death and the psychological conflict it creates. It offers practical ways to manage the discomfort associated with letting go, including acknowledging and grieving the loss, being mindful of attachments, and focusing on living well in the present moment.

Navigating the Double-Edged Sword of Caring

01:40

Understanding the Nature of Impermanence and Appreciating Relationships

01:44

The Physics of Time with Professor Mueller

02:12

Letting Go of Painful Memories and Emotions

01:45

Introduction

3min

Embracing Impermanence: Living Fully in the Present Moment

21min

Embracing Impermanence and Stability

2min

Managing Uncertainty and Impermanence

3min

Embracing Impermanence

18min

Observing Change on a Micro Time Scale and Deepening Awareness

2min

Letting Go and Embracing Impermanence

16min

The only constant in life is change. Moments come and go, people enter and leave our lives, and we ourselves grow, change, and eventually pass away. While this is an obvious fact of life, we usually let it blend into the background, and coming face-to-face with it can fill us with understandable feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, and even dread.

In this episode Forrest and Dr. Rick explore impermanence anxiety: the fears we have related to change. They discuss “macro” and “micro” impermanence, terror management theory, the courage to care, fully embracing life, what tends to help people come to peace with impermanence, and how we can become more resilient in the face of change. Rick closes the episode by explaining how we can come more fully into the present moment, and see reality for what it truly is.

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

1:20: Macro-impermanence and micro-impermanence

9:25: Terror management theory, and grasping the finality of bigger changes

14:50: Fully embracing your reality

26:25: Purpose, meaning, agency and acceptance

32:40: Why change is scary, and recognizing our own fragility

38:10: Repression, avoidance, and sublimation

47:05: A walkthrough of the stages of insight

54:30: Framing yourself in the broader reality, and letting go of painful things

57:40: Recap

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