After sitting and walking meditation, and tea, we read and reflected on an article by Sharon Salzberg about anxiety. What is it? How does it differ from fear? What can we do to relieve it? Salzberg writes:

...anxiety feeds on itself. Sylvia [Boorstein] describes it as a “free-floating hyperactivity of the mind.” I would add that anxiety doesn’t just float; it intensifies, building one conjecture upon the next. It can be very harsh. You might even feel anxious about having anxiety, and it gets stronger. A friend sent me an old Peanuts cartoon of Charlie Brown sitting up in bed in the middle of the night saying, “My anxieties have anxieties.” That captures the proliferation of anxieties perfectly.

Some key takeaways and highlights:

• "Fear is immediate: a threat right in front of you that requires a swift response."
• "Anxiety...[is]...a “free-floating hyperactivity of the mind.”..[it] doesn’t just float; it intensifies, building one conjecture upon the next".
• "So, first step: start by taking a breath or two to ground yourself so that you can determine if the threat you feel is real or a conjecture from circumstances."
• "...once you know that what you feel is anxiety, consider an antidote...cultivate some lovingkindness for yourself...change your physical surroundings."
• "...change is possible. You can live a life that keeps anxiety in perspective."