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Practices for a busy mind
Short lessons on ways of working with worry, from modern psychology, philosophy and the world's traditions. Each takes a few minutes, and you can use what you learn in Maya.
Start here
Not sure where to begin? These are good first lessons.
- Intrusive thoughtsSudden, unwanted thoughts and images, sometimes shocking ones, are something almost everyone has. Here's why they stick, and what helps.Exposure · Read · 5 min
- Evidence checkTreat a worried thought as a guess, not a fact, and look at what actually supports it.CBT · Practice · 5 min
- The second arrowSeparate the pain that happens to you from the extra suffering you add on top.Buddhism · Practice · 8 min · Unlocks a tool
- What's up to meSort a worry into what's yours to act on and what isn't, and put your energy into the first.Stoicism · Practice · 5 min · Unlocks a tool
Psychology
Skills from modern therapy, open to everyone in Maya.
CBT
- Thinking patternsThe predictable ways an anxious or low mind bends the facts, and why naming them helps.Read · 5 min
- Evidence checkTreat a worried thought as a guess, not a fact, and look at what actually supports it.Practice · 5 min
- A friend's voiceAsk what you'd say to a friend with the same thought, then say it to yourself, just as warmly.Practice · 4 min
- Worry, rumination or problem-solving?Three kinds of thinking that all feel useful, and how to tell which one you're in.Read · 5 min
- Zoom outPicture the worst, best and most likely outcomes, then ask how much it will matter in a year.Practice · 5 min
- Behavioural experimentTurn a fearful prediction into a small, safe test, and see what actually happens.Practice · 5 min
ACT
- Name the storyStep back from a familiar thought by noticing it, and giving it a name, instead of arguing with it.Practice · 5 min
- Values compassUnderneath most worries is something you care about. Find it, and let it point the way.Practice · 5 min
- One small stepTurn what matters into one small, specific action this week, without waiting to feel ready.Practice · 4 min
- Make roomStop fighting a feeling: notice where it sits in your body, and let it be there.Practice · 5 min
DBT
- Wise mindFind the place where what you feel and what you know overlap, and decide from there.Practice · 5 min
- STOPIn the seconds before you react, Stop, Take a step back, Observe, then Proceed mindfully.Practice · 4 min
- TIPPWhen emotion is overwhelming, change your body to change the feeling, fast.Practice · 5 min
- 5-4-3-2-1 groundingWhen you're overwhelmed, use your five senses to come back to the present.Practice · 3 min
- Opposite actionWhen a feeling pushes you towards something unhelpful, gently do the opposite, all the way.Practice · 5 min
- DEAR MANAsk for what you need, or say no, clearly and calmly, in seven steps.Practice · 6 min
- Radical acceptanceFully accept what can't be changed right now, which is not the same as approving of it.Practice · 5 min
Exposure
- The avoidance trapWhy steering clear of what scares you brings relief now and keeps the fear going.Read · 4 min
- Anxiety rises and fallsAnxiety moves like a wave. Knowing that makes it easier to stay, and staying is how fear shrinks.Read · 4 min
- Build a fear ladderFace something you avoid in small, safe steps, from easiest to hardest.Practice · 8 min
- Drop a safety behaviourNotice the small things you do "just in case", and find out what happens without them.Practice · 6 min
- The reassurance loopWhy asking "are you sure it's fine?" brings relief, and why the relief doesn't last.Read · 4 min
- Delay the ritualWhen the urge to check or seek reassurance comes, wait, and watch it rise and fall on its own.Practice · 7 min
- Urge surfingRide an urge like a wave: it rises, peaks and falls, without you having to act on it.Practice · 5 min
- Intrusive thoughtsSudden, unwanted thoughts and images, sometimes shocking ones, are something almost everyone has. Here's why they stick, and what helps.Read · 5 min
- Write a worry scriptWrite out the outcome you fear in vivid detail, and read it until it loses its charge.Practice · 7 min
Classic psychology
The early schools of psychotherapy, from Carl Jung and Alfred Adler.
Jungian
- Shadow workWhen someone irritates you out of all proportion, ask what it might show you about yourself.Practice · 5 min · Unlocks a tool
- Active imaginationGive a feeling a shape or a voice, and have a conversation with it.Practice · 5 min · Unlocks a tool
- Dream reflectionRecall a recent dream, notice the image that stays with you, and ask what it brings to mind.Practice · 5 min · Unlocks a tool
- What story am I in?Name the role you've been cast in, and ask whether it's the one you'd choose.Practice · 5 min · Unlocks a tool
Adlerian
- Whose task is this?Sort out which part of a situation is yours to do, and which belongs to someone else, like what they think of you.Practice · 5 min · Unlocks a tool
- What is it for?Instead of asking where a feeling comes from, ask what it might be trying to do for you.Practice · 5 min · Unlocks a tool
- The courage to be imperfectFeeling "not enough" is human, and can push you to grow. Act without waiting to be perfect.Practice · 5 min · Unlocks a tool
- Act as ifAsk "what would I do if this problem were gone?", then try acting that way for a little while.Practice · 5 min · Unlocks a tool
- How can I contribute?When your attention circles yourself, turn it outwards: do something small for someone else.Practice · 5 min · Unlocks a tool
Philosophy
Practical wisdom from schools of philosophy.
Stoicism
- What's up to meSort a worry into what's yours to act on and what isn't, and put your energy into the first.Practice · 5 min · Unlocks a tool
- View from abovePicture your situation from high above, and across many years, to see it in proportion.Practice · 4 min · Unlocks a tool
- Evening reviewAt the end of the day, look back kindly: what went well, what you'd change, and what comes next.Practice · 4 min · Unlocks a tool
- Premeditatio malorumCalmly picture what could go wrong, and how you would cope, so it loses some of its grip.Practice · 5 min · Unlocks a tool
Existentialism
- The dizziness of freedomAnxiety can be a sign that real possibilities are open, not proof that something is wrong.Practice · 5 min · Unlocks a tool
- Imagine Sisyphus happyWhen a struggle never ends, choose your own way of carrying it, with your eyes open.Practice · 5 min · Unlocks a tool
- Bad faith checkNotice where you're telling yourself "I have no choice" when, in fact, you have one.Practice · 5 min · Unlocks a tool
- What could this be for?We can't always choose what happens, but we can choose our attitude, and sometimes find meaning in it.Practice · 5 min · Unlocks a tool
- Whose voice is this?Ask whether a "should" is really yours, or the anonymous voice of what everyone does.Practice · 4 min · Unlocks a tool
Religion & spirituality
Practices from the world's traditions, offered respectfully. You don't need to share a faith to try them.
Buddhism
- The second arrowSeparate the pain that happens to you from the extra suffering you add on top.Practice · 8 min · Unlocks a tool
- MettaLoving-kindness: deliberately wishing yourself, and others, well.Practice · 5 min · Unlocks a tool
- NotingSoftly label what arises ("thinking", "worrying", "hearing") and let it pass.Practice · 4 min · Unlocks a tool
Christianity
Judaism
Islam
More lessons are on the way.