Dear Friends,
Most of the suffering you feel doesn’t come from the present moment —
it comes from the future you’re imagining.
You ask:
How do I not get depressed about getting older?
How do I not get depressed about losing my job?
How do I not get depressed about my mental health?
The answer is the same for all of them:
You’re projecting forward.
And the future you’re imagining is almost always the darkest version.
Here’s the truth most people forget:
You can’t see the future.
You can only see this moment.
And when you step out of the present and into a fearful prediction, you’re creating misery out of thin air.
So here’s the practice:
Catch yourself projecting — and change the topic immediately.
Think of a beautiful beach.
Count numbers the way I do.
Name what you see in front of you.
Feel your feet on the ground.
Do anything it takes to return to now.
Because every negative future you imagine is just that — imagined.
And there’s no reason to hurt yourself with a story that isn’t happening.
Peace lives in the present.
Always.
Golden light,
Dr. Richard Louis Miller
P.S.I share many short, practical practices like this in my book, Master Your Mind: Practical Tools to Calm Anxiety, Silence Your Inner Critic, and Stop Overthinking. They’re designed to help you find calm, presence, and gratitude in just a few mindful moments each day.
A Year-End Invitation
As the year comes to a close, I want to make my work a little more accessible for those who may need it most.
For the final months of 2025, I’m opening a limited number of one-on-one sessions at a reduced rate — $350 for 1 hour (regularly $500) and $200 for 30 minutes (regularly $300).
These are not traditional therapy sessions. They’re practical, compassionate conversations where we explore tools to quiet the mind, ease anxiety, and find calm amidst the noise of daily life.
If you’ve been thinking about reaching out, now is a good time.
Let’s take a quiet moment together to reflect, breathe, and reconnect before the new year begins.
1-minute mind control (my new 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.
Next Week’s MBHP Episode:
Why Self-Compassion Matters More Than You Think — with Dr. Kristin Neff
Pioneering psychologist Dr. Kristin Neff joins Mind Body Health & Politics to explain why most of us are kind to everyone except ourselves — and how that shapes our mental and physical health.
In this conversation, Dr. Neff breaks down the three components of self-compassion, why evolution wired us for self-criticism, and how just 20 seconds a day of practice can quiet the nervous system, reduce anxiety, and build real emotional resilience.
She also explores the difference between self-compassion and self-esteem, the cultural forces that keep us hard on ourselves, and why treating yourself like a friend is one of the most powerful psychological tools available.
Guest: Dr. Kristin Neff — Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and pioneer of the self-compassion movement.
Mind Body Health & Politics features weekly conversations with researchers, authors, and pioneers working at the frontiers of human consciousness and healing. All episodes from the past 20 years are available free in the archives.
