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How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
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How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
Benefits of Mindfulness: Mindful Living Can Change Your Life
Mindfulness 101: A Beginner's Guide
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Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today, I'm going to talk about taming paper tigers. So you might've heard of this term before, paper tiger. It's a term that refers to something or someone that claims or appears to be powerful and threatening, but is actually ineffectual and unable to withstand challenge. So as we go about our lives, there are many things that invoke fear in us that are actually just paper tigers.
Most of them are our fear inducing thoughts. So for instance, we worry about things that will probably never happen or things that we really can't control. We worry about what other people might think of us. We catastrophize, that is, we play out worst case scenarios in our minds. And we sweat the small stuff.
Right? So in all these ways and more, we create paper tigers in our mind. Giving things much more weight and substance in our minds so that they seem much more scary and stressful. So as I'm saying this, you might already be beginning to think about what I'm about to ask you. And that is, what are your paper tigers? You know, everybody's different. What are the thoughts that tend to tip you towards fear, stress, and anxiety? Perhaps you find yourself playing out a lot of what if scenarios in your mind.
You know, what if I lose my job, what if my partner leaves me, what if I have cancer right now and I just don't realize it. Or maybe your paper tigers come in the form of worrying about what people think of you. Did I say the right thing? Am I fitting in? Do they like me? Am I doing anything that could get me rejected? Am I beautiful enough? Am I successful enough? Or perhaps it's a sense of making mountains out of mole hills. When small inconveniences or setbacks, when they happen, become quite big in your mind. So for instance, something like, you're going to be late and you think, oh my God, they're going to hate me.
They're never going to invite me anywhere again. Or you might have a headache and think, oh gosh, my mom had a stroke around this age. I could be next. So whatever your particular paper tigers are, even though they might claim to be big and scary, in reality, they're simply thoughts. Bits of language that arise in the mind and dissolve.
They're really just mental events. So even though they can induce a lot of stress and fear, they really have no power to hurt you. This reminds me, there's an old acronym for fear, F E A R - false evidence appearing real. And that's a really good acronym to remember when the paper tigers arise in your mind. So today and ongoing, I invite you to be attentive and on the lookout for your paper tigers when they arise.
And when they do, see if you can take a pause, take a breath and then examine them closely to see if they're simply false evidence drawing you in to unnecessary anxiety. In this way, you can let go of stress, reclaim your inner strength and peace and enjoy a more mindful and meaningful life. As always, thank you for your practice and your presence here. Let's settle in for today's meditation.
Taming Paper Tigers
Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:
Duration
Your default time is based on your progress and is changed automatically as you practice.
Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today, I'm going to talk about taming paper tigers. So you might've heard of this term before, paper tiger. It's a term that refers to something or someone that claims or appears to be powerful and threatening, but is actually ineffectual and unable to withstand challenge. So as we go about our lives, there are many things that invoke fear in us that are actually just paper tigers.
Most of them are our fear inducing thoughts. So for instance, we worry about things that will probably never happen or things that we really can't control. We worry about what other people might think of us. We catastrophize, that is, we play out worst case scenarios in our minds. And we sweat the small stuff.
Right? So in all these ways and more, we create paper tigers in our mind. Giving things much more weight and substance in our minds so that they seem much more scary and stressful. So as I'm saying this, you might already be beginning to think about what I'm about to ask you. And that is, what are your paper tigers? You know, everybody's different. What are the thoughts that tend to tip you towards fear, stress, and anxiety? Perhaps you find yourself playing out a lot of what if scenarios in your mind.
You know, what if I lose my job, what if my partner leaves me, what if I have cancer right now and I just don't realize it. Or maybe your paper tigers come in the form of worrying about what people think of you. Did I say the right thing? Am I fitting in? Do they like me? Am I doing anything that could get me rejected? Am I beautiful enough? Am I successful enough? Or perhaps it's a sense of making mountains out of mole hills. When small inconveniences or setbacks, when they happen, become quite big in your mind. So for instance, something like, you're going to be late and you think, oh my God, they're going to hate me.
They're never going to invite me anywhere again. Or you might have a headache and think, oh gosh, my mom had a stroke around this age. I could be next. So whatever your particular paper tigers are, even though they might claim to be big and scary, in reality, they're simply thoughts. Bits of language that arise in the mind and dissolve.
They're really just mental events. So even though they can induce a lot of stress and fear, they really have no power to hurt you. This reminds me, there's an old acronym for fear, F E A R - false evidence appearing real. And that's a really good acronym to remember when the paper tigers arise in your mind. So today and ongoing, I invite you to be attentive and on the lookout for your paper tigers when they arise.
And when they do, see if you can take a pause, take a breath and then examine them closely to see if they're simply false evidence drawing you in to unnecessary anxiety. In this way, you can let go of stress, reclaim your inner strength and peace and enjoy a more mindful and meaningful life. As always, thank you for your practice and your presence here. Let's settle in for today's meditation.
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I have been on a journey of healing and learning self-love. Amidst the work, I have been using the mindfulness app for the gentle reminders, guides to the moment (especially the difficult ones).
Kelly Boys offers a fresh and illuminating take on how to step out of lifelong patterns that keep snagging us.
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Truly life changing. This isn't solely meditation and mindfulness...this is about striving to be the best the versions of ourselves.
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Relaxing and assuring beyond description... thank you, Cory.
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This is the app I turn to when I want to feel calm and loved.
- Abby
Melli has a beautiful way of guiding and reminding us of the stillness within.
- Adrienne James
I have been on a journey of healing and learning self-love. Amidst the work, I have been using the mindfulness app for the gentle reminders, guides to the moment (especially the difficult ones).
Kelly Boys offers a fresh and illuminating take on how to step out of lifelong patterns that keep snagging us.
- Tara Brach, PhD
Truly life changing. This isn't solely meditation and mindfulness...this is about striving to be the best the versions of ourselves.
- Marisa, Plus+ Member
Relaxing and assuring beyond description... thank you, Cory.
- Babs312
This is the app I turn to when I want to feel calm and loved.
- Abby
Melli has a beautiful way of guiding and reminding us of the stillness within.
- Adrienne James
I have been on a journey of healing and learning self-love. Amidst the work, I have been using the mindfulness app for the gentle reminders, guides to the moment (especially the difficult ones).
Kelly Boys offers a fresh and illuminating take on how to step out of lifelong patterns that keep snagging us.
- Tara Brach, PhD
Truly life changing. This isn't solely meditation and mindfulness...this is about striving to be the best the versions of ourselves.
- Marisa, Plus+ Member
Relaxing and assuring beyond description... thank you, Cory.
- Babs312
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Excellent! Cory gently guides you into internal peace.
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I start every day with Cory or Melli for my daily practice. Including this app into my practice helps me continue to build more mental focus and understanding of my thought processes. What a welcome and powerful gift.
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Shamash's guidance is a gift of wisdom to help us in our busy and stressful lives.
- Paul Gilbert, PhD, FBPsS, OBE, Centre for Compassion Research and Training, University of Derby, United Kingdom
Excellent! Cory gently guides you into internal peace.
- Steve Ericson
A necessary tool for those who feel lost.
- Piper
Just want to say a big thankyou to all involved as this has had a positive impact in my daily life 🙏 Valuable teachings that have allowed me to have a better relationship not only with those around me, but with myself. Heal ourselves and we heal the world 💫✨🌍
- Marty
I start every day with Cory or Melli for my daily practice. Including this app into my practice helps me continue to build more mental focus and understanding of my thought processes. What a welcome and powerful gift.
- Oku
Shamash's guidance is a gift of wisdom to help us in our busy and stressful lives.
- Paul Gilbert, PhD, FBPsS, OBE, Centre for Compassion Research and Training, University of Derby, United Kingdom
Excellent! Cory gently guides you into internal peace.
- Steve Ericson
A necessary tool for those who feel lost.
- Piper
Just want to say a big thankyou to all involved as this has had a positive impact in my daily life 🙏 Valuable teachings that have allowed me to have a better relationship not only with those around me, but with myself. Heal ourselves and we heal the world 💫✨🌍
- Marty
I start every day with Cory or Melli for my daily practice. Including this app into my practice helps me continue to build more mental focus and understanding of my thought processes. What a welcome and powerful gift.
- Oku
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