Notes from an Almost 87-Year-Old Psychologist

5 steady ways I calm my anxiety

Dear friends,

As I move through my eighty-seventh year, I’ve learned this much:

When anxiety rises, clarity comes from returning to fundamentals.
Simple actions, practiced gently and often, bring the mind back into balance.

Here are five practices I return to when life feels unsettled.

1. I begin with my breath.
   Breathing is the most reliable tool I know. Conscious breathing steadies the nervous system and restores a sense of internal balance.

2. I anchor myself in the present moment.
   Attention placed here brings relief. The present moment is usually manageable, grounded, and sufficient. Breathing keeps me oriented to what is happening now.

3. I remember where mood is created.
   Mood arises from within. Understanding this opens the door to choice and agency rather than reaction.

   

4. I practice shaping my emotional tone.
   Mood responds to training. I close my eyes, invite a calmer or steadier state, and stay with it briefly. I repeat this throughout the day. With time, the body learns the way.

5. I speak to my mind with intention.
   The mind absorbs repetition. Clear, supportive self-talk becomes guidance the nervous system can follow.

I don’t claim mastery of any of this.
I practice. I forget. I begin again.

If you choose one place to begin today, let it be this:

Pick a single practice from this list and try it once.
Then try it again tomorrow.

That is how direction is built.

If you wish, you are welcome to write back and share which practice you are working with this week.

Golden Light,

Dr. Richard Louis Miller

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1-minute mind control (my latest book)

Traditional mindfulness and meditation techniques often require a huge investment of your most precious resource (time) without guarantees of results.

My own version of mindfulness—what I sometimes refer to as “mind control”—can be mastered in much less time if you commit to regular 60-90 second practice throughout the day.

Breathing. Witnessing. Changing the channel on negative thoughts.

I’ve honed these techniques over a lifetime of personal and professional practice, and now I’m sharing them with the world.

Get my new book Master Your Mind, and as a thank you for your support, I’ll give you a free 30-day subscription to our premium newsletter and exclusive content. Just reply to this email after you buy it to confirm your purchase.

My Other Books:

• Psychedelic Medicine at the End of Life: Dying Without Fear (release date: November 5)

• Freeing Sexuality: Psychologists, Consent Teachers, Polyamory Experts, and Sex Workers Speak Out

• Psychedelic Wisdom: The Astonishing Rewards of Mind-Altering Substances

• Psychedelic Medicine: The Healing Powers of LSD, MDMA, Psilocybin, and Ayahuasca

• Integral Psychedelic Therapy (co-edited with Jason A. Butler & Genesee Herzberg)