Hardiness with Dr Paul Taylor Living With Anxiety: An Attentional Practice with Carly Taylor
Jan 11, 2026
Explore the fresh perspective on anxiety as a natural response to life's uncertainties. Carly discusses how it signals what truly matters, inspired by Rollo May's insights. She distinguishes between everyday anxiety and its more intense forms. Learn how attentional control can break the cycle of anxious thoughts, with practical exercises to shift focus away from internal worries. Carly emphasizes building these skills outside of crisis moments to better cope when anxiety strikes.
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Anxiety Signals What Matters
- Anxiety is a natural response to uncertainty and responsibility rather than a problem to eliminate.
- Carly Taylor cites Rollo May: anxiety signals that something matters and reflects life’s unpredictability.
Attention Creates The Anxiety Loop
- The problem is attention getting stuck on anxiety, which fuels rumination and a vicious loop.
- Carly Taylor explains that battling anxiety with logic often strengthens that loop instead of breaking it.
Redirect Attention To The Senses
- Use attentional control to widen awareness and reconnect with present experience.
- Deliberately tune into senses to interrupt imagined futures and reduce absorption in anxious thoughts.