230623 What I learned in my studies this morning 3*

What's next? What follows?

Reality-based answers

Help anxiety.

Thoughts:

We discussed anxiety and how to ameliorate it the other day, my second child and I, while reviewing ch. 6 of How to Think Like a Roman Emperor for the second time.†

We talked about cognitive distancing (You are not X, but merely my impression of X.), the dilemma of control (What is up to us and what is not up to us.), worry postponement (I don't have time for you now. I'll come back to you [at my designated worry time].), broadening our point of view in both space and time (What does this matter in the grand scheme of things? Will I still be anxious about this in a week? In a year? In twenty years? If not, why can't I adorn myself in the mantle of indifference now?), modeling of behavior on role models (What would Marcus or Socrates or ABC do?), rational analysis of the event (Are my assumptions and predictions likely? Or am I dreaming up trouble where none exists?) and the closely related technique of decatastrophizing (Separating my emotions from the event; using clinical language to objectively describe what's happening. What, realistically, happens after? What's the most likely outcome and what's the [realistic] worst case scenario? Can we affect the likelihood of either or both of those?), and premeditatio malorum (Gaining emotional habituation by imagining the traumatic event in detail, repeating this exposure until my reaction to the stimulus is blunted, and further reducing anxiety by formulating a plan for what I should do, and how I can stay calm, if this ever does come to pass).‡

I love the fact that I have a teenager who can understand the ideas and participate intelligently in a conversation about these things.

It was grand.

Today's Meditation:

Today's Meditation II:

Today's Meditation III:

Today's Meditation IV:

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† We review each chapter twice. First read is to get the big picture and see the structure of the chapter. (We read 3 or 4 chapters and then go back.) Second read is to discuss details, inverses, converses, contrapositives, etc.


‡ I'm about 99.9% sure that the longest single paragraph I've (yet) written in the history of this blog.