TL;DR
Get oils, diffusers and self-care delivered free — and shop member deals
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Access to Prime Big Deal Days deals on October 6–7
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
A personal essay published by Tiny Buddha describes how its author began responding differently to anxiety after a period of major life changes and persistent distress. The writer credits meditation and ideas associated with Morita therapy with helping them accept difficult feelings and continue daily activities, while saying anxiety has not disappeared. The account is personal, not evidence that the approach works for everyone.
Tiny Buddha published a first-person essay describing how its author came to accept anxiety rather than wait for it to go away before resuming daily life. The account traces the change to meditation and ideas from Morita therapy, but the writer says anxiety still occurs; the essay is a personal experience, not clinical evidence or a treatment recommendation.
The writer says they had long been sensitive to other people’s opinions and often replayed social interactions, worrying about how they had come across. In 2019, they ended a 15-year relationship, moved to a new home and started a new job within a short period. They describe the upheaval as coinciding with more severe anxiety, disrupted sleep, low energy and loss of interest in activities. The essay does not provide a clinical diagnosis or say the events caused a specific disorder.
The author writes that they stopped treating recovery as a project that had to meet a deadline. Instead, they describe small acts of self-care and then gradually building a meditation practice, moving from five-minute sessions toward longer sits. About a year into that practice, they recall noticing anxiety as a feeling they could observe rather than as their entire identity. This is the writer’s account of a personal shift, not a measured clinical outcome.
The essay connects that experience to Morita therapy, a Japanese psychotherapy approach associated with psychiatrist Shoma Morita. As the author explains it, feelings cannot always be controlled directly, while a person can choose an action even when uncomfortable feelings remain. The writer says they now try to sit without demanding calm and to let anxiety be present while carrying on with ordinary tasks. They also say the approach has not eliminated anxiety or occasional early-morning waking.
Living While Anxiety Is Present
The essay offers readers a personal account of a different goal from making distress disappear: continuing with manageable daily activities while anxiety is present. That distinction may be useful to people who find that waiting to feel completely calm delays routine tasks. The writer’s examples—sending an email, going to work or washing dishes—make the idea concrete without claiming that these actions resolve the underlying feelings.
Its limits matter just as much. A single personal story cannot establish that meditation or Morita therapy will help others, and the essay does not report a formal treatment plan, clinician assessment or outcome measures. It should not be read as a reason to avoid professional care. People experiencing persistent or severe distress may wish to seek guidance from a qualified mental-health professional.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Three Life Changes in 2019
The author places the change in response to anxiety against a period when several parts of life shifted at once: a long relationship ended, a move took place and a new job began. They describe having experienced fear of judgment for years, but say the distress became more disruptive after these changes, with sleep and energy affected. These details come from the essay and have not been independently verified.
The writer had studied psychology and says that knowing concepts did not make it easier to seek or act on support during that period. Later, they read about Morita therapy and found language for an approach they had started exploring through meditation. The essay presents that connection as the author’s interpretation, rather than a report of therapy with a clinician or a clinical trial.
““I stopped pushing myself to recover quickly. I stopped treating healing like a project with a deadline.””
— The essay’s author
Limits of One Personal Account
The source is a first-person essay, not a study. It does not identify the author’s clinical diagnosis, whether they received professional treatment, or whether any other factors contributed to the reported change. It also gives no systematic measure of anxiety or sleep before and after the meditation practice, so the effect of meditation cannot be determined from the account.
The publication date is not included in the supplied source, and the essay does not establish whether the author’s experience represents what most people with anxiety experience. The writer explicitly says anxiety continues to occur. The material therefore supports a report of what one person says helped them, not a general claim of effectiveness.
The essay describes no announced follow-up, study or clinical evaluation. The author’s stated next step is ongoing practice: sitting without requiring meditation to produce calm, allowing uncomfortable feelings to remain and taking ordinary actions anyway. They report that this is an approach they continue to use, while acknowledging that anxiety and occasional early waking still happen.
For readers, the account’s practical ideas should be treated as personal strategies rather than substitutes for individualized care. Whether acceptance-based practices are suitable or helpful can differ from person to person. Anyone concerned about persistent anxiety or disrupted sleep can discuss symptoms and options with a qualified health professional.
Key Questions
What is the essay’s main point?
The author says they found it more useful to acknowledge anxiety and continue with ordinary tasks than to wait until they felt calm. This is a description of their own experience, not a guarantee of results for others.
No. The writer says they still experience anxiety and sometimes wake early. They describe a change in how they respond to those feelings, not their complete elimination.
What is Morita therapy?
The essay describes Morita therapy as an approach associated with Japanese psychiatrist Shoma Morita. In the author’s explanation, it involves accepting feelings that cannot be directly controlled and choosing actions that remain possible.
Does this account prove meditation treats anxiety?
No. It is one person’s retrospective account and includes no controlled comparison or clinical outcome data. It cannot establish that meditation caused the reported change or that it will help everyone.
Should someone stop professional care and try this instead?
The essay does not support replacing professional care. People with persistent or severe anxiety, or ongoing sleep problems, can seek advice from a qualified health professional about appropriate support.
Source: rss
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
