★ Amazon Bestseller, Editor's Pick!
★ Immediately after publication, it became a New York Times, USA Today, and US independent bookstore bestseller!
★ Anxiety detox from Martha Beck, Oprah Winfrey's "trusted wise adviser"!

If you find yourself anxious and easily tense over trivial matters, it's time to change the way you deal with and view your anxiety, rather than trying to eliminate it.
Today, we live with anxiety over even a single line of news, an unexpected situation, or a trivial conversation.
But there is nothing wrong with me feeling that emotion and the anxiety inside me.
"The Art of Stopping Anxiety" uses brain science to help us understand why we easily fall into anxiety, and suggests ways to channel that energy into creativity, engagement, and meaningful relationships.
Beyond simple mind control or meditation, it contains strategies for transforming anxiety into a practical driving force that moves life.
This book says:
“If you learn to use your anxiety, you will understand yourself more deeply.”

Author Martha Beck holds a PhD in sociology from Harvard University and is a life coach who has been transforming people's lives around the world for over 20 years.
Oprah Winfrey calls her “a wise counselor I’ve always relied on,” and has borrowed her insights whenever she needs to make a life transition.
In this book, the author systematically unravels the "inner skills" for reading and managing anxiety signals, drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience, a lifetime of experience overcoming anxiety, and thousands of coaching cases.
Through 19 practical exercises you can apply immediately when anxiety strikes, including sensory shifting, curiosity training, creating a sanctuary, and kind inner dialogue, we help you avoid being swayed by anxiety and instead use it as a springboard for growth.

In an age where anxiety has become a daily occurrence, this book guides us to recalibrate our relationships with ourselves, others, and the world.
Anyone can transform anxiety into wonder and curiosity, fueling a creative and robust life, and in the process, regain peace of mind and healthy relationships with those around them and the world.

Anxiety is contagious.
No matter how much I've learned to calm my anxiety, if I stay in a culture filled with anxiety, I'll soon find myself dragged back into the realm of fear.
Our brains and emotions are shaped by the cultural environment we encounter every day.
For example, the pressure to perform well in school, where students' achievements are compared and ranked, the financial burden of maintaining a certain level of income, the constant barrage of disturbing news from around the world, and even the pain and anxiety of family, friends, and even strangers we meet all affect us.

--- p.19

A way of life that transcends anxiety offers an overflowing sense of liberation.
As a result, we can enjoy a much wider range of freedom than we might think.
You gain the freedom to sustain the peace and self-compassion you experience within yourself now, the freedom to relate to others with confidence and wisdom rather than anxiety and tension, and the freedom to face the pressures of society as a powerful navigator and path-breaker rather than a helpless wanderer.
We can also gain the freedom to move toward a future filled with miracles that benefit us, rather than a future filled with fear.
All these freedoms are your innate rights that you have had since birth.
The moment you overcome your anxiety, you will know this truth clearly.

--- p.22

Negativity bias and the house of mirrors influence the very way we perceive truth.
So, when I'm in a state of anxiety, I can completely miss errors or contradictions in my thinking.
So how do we escape this trap? The answer lies in emotions.
You just have to capture the painful sensation.
If you feel a terrible feeling as you look at the world through a whirlwind of anxiety, you can take that feeling as a signal.
"Hey! You're caught in your own negativity bias! You're lost in a house of mirrors!" Once we realize this, we can take the first step toward a better way of thinking.
--- p.57

When we step back from our anxieties and begin to align our thoughts and perceptions using both our left and right brains, we enter a state I call the "creativity spiral."
Interestingly, the right hemisphere, like the left, also creates a vortex with its own feedback system, a structure that is almost mirrored by the anxiety vortex in that it begins in the almond-shaped amygdala at the back of the brain and extends to the outermost layer.
However, the effect is quite the opposite.
When a vortex arises in the left brain, fear flares up like a flame and you feel a desire to somehow control the situation.
On the other hand, when a whirlpool occurs in the right brain, 'curiosity' flares up like a spark, and you feel the desire to 'create' something.
--- p.65

It is your turn, very, very slowly, to connect with the part of your nervous system that triggers the most intense anxiety within you.
This method helps your nervous system release and move beyond the trauma triggers that are sending you into a cascade of unwanted defenses.
As you follow the instructions that follow, never rush.
It may take several repetitions to release the anxiety trigger.
That's okay though.
The real key to success in this training is not speed, but persistence.
Even when training a scared animal, going slowly is the fastest way.
So I can promise you this clearly.
The effort you are putting in now is well worth it.
--- p.126

The goal of IFS treatment is not for a specialist to step in and 'fix' the patient.
The therapist's true goal is simply to help the patient connect with their core self, their true self, and to allow that true self to lead to fundamental healing at the deepest level.
You too can meet your own 'true self' at any time.
And that 'true self' knows better than anyone else on Earth how to calm your anxieties and help you live a happy and peaceful life.
--- p.174

This shift toward inner harmony under the guidance of the True Self becomes the path for us to live as part of the 'solution' rather than the 'problem' in the world.
In an increasingly anxious and polarized society, true energy wells up within us like a clear spring after a long drought.
This inherently creative energy offers new solutions to the problems we face.
To live a fulfilling life as an individual and to survive as a species, we must first appease our anxious egos.
At the same time, we must continue to move beyond anxiety.
We must cultivate curiosity and compassion, and unleash our uniquely human creativity.
--- p.179

The whirlwind of creativity forces us to focus on the present moment.
Thanks to this, we can more accurately assess the current situation, take useful actions, or feel a comfortable sense of security.
It also makes me want to learn different perspectives and express myself to others.
This is what is meant by ‘love in action.’
When we feel firmly rooted in safety and empathy, our brain naturally asks:
“What can I learn?” This question is the starting point that leads us to become more creative and intelligent beings.
--- p.196~197

If you decide to build your life on creativity rather than anxiety, dedicate all your time to what you love, and focus on transforming your life into a complete quilt, you'll soon find yourself pushing past all your previous limitations.
If you get on the creative vortex, you can easily get to where most people want to be.
But you'll want to go further than that.
In classic heroic tales across many cultures, a magical helper appears at such moments.
In your brain, it is at this very moment that the deepest genius of the right hemisphere awakens.
--- p.290

Calming the anxious creature within is like washing your hands.
Once you learn the technique, it doesn't take long, and you should repeat it several times a day, and it's a must if you want to avoid being infected by the anxiety pandemic raging in our society.
When our brains are caught up in fearful stories and the whirlwind of anxiety takes over, the creative genius within us is forced to remain hidden.
By quieting all aspects of myself, all my anxious beings, I can maintain the logic of my left hemisphere, but combine it with the insight of my right hemisphere.
--- p.301

As you follow the vortex of creativity to its very end, you sometimes 'dock' at a point so mystical that it feels like a metaphysical experience.
In that moment of 'awakening', we feel that we are beyond our small, fearful and intimidated selves and are in harmony with the vast whole of creation.
In that moment, anxiety disappears from sight, and instead, awareness of health, happiness, and purpose in life dramatically increases.
--- p.421

Are you suddenly feeling anxious about the word death? It's perfectly understandable.
No matter how much you look out into space and remind yourself, "I am connected to the universe just as I am connected to my left leg," you can slip away from the "peace that surpasses all understanding" and fall back into anxiety.
It's quite natural.
But as we've already acknowledged, anxiety is a really frustrating emotion.
You can use this suffering as an opportunity to relax, take a deep breath, and ask yourself:
“Can I imagine a space, a silence, a stillness, where I am with all beings?” In other words, through this suffering, I can return to peace again.
We can wake up again at any moment.
--- p.438

When we move beyond anxiety, what we discover is not only the magic of life.
We soon discover that we ourselves are the magic.
As long as consciousness remains within the physical form, it moves, acts, thinks, and tries to repair its own broken parts.
This is true magic.
The very fact that you and I can heal from the sorrows and pains that life brings is magical.
We can harness this 'magic' to heal as a species, connecting with courage and curiosity to work together harmoniously without rigid structures.
Furthermore, we can join hands and heal our home, the Earth.
Tired of fear, we have finally decided to move beyond anxiety, and now, like a small, busy neocortex, we are moving diligently across the Earth.
If we are the 'brain' of the Earth, then that brain is waking up now.

--- p.477~478