Generally speaking, my experiences in several geographies have shown me the kindness of people and their general will to be at peace and a part of something. There is danger in dark corners, of course, but not as much as you fear. While you are worrying about what may lurk around those corners and stay home wrapped-up in that fuzzy blanket, a world full of beautiful oddities passes you by. Brief yet intense experience has taught me that fear is one of those ancient personal elements which is mostly unreasonable in modern times and in daily life. It exists to keep us alive. A person is usually in his or her own way toward a healthier or more balanced existence of their choosing. Fear is not our enemy. Our mismanagement of fear is what can be adjusted.

Your body also has great power. Let's say you haven't had anything to eat all day and you try to crunch numbers at work. Or, if you happen to be genetically sensitive to caffeine and milk, you drink 2 giant, milky coffees per day and you are baffled over why you feel queasy and can't fall asleep each night. Or, if you are in a hospital bed for 3 months, how does that affect your world view? Our body can be incredibly inconvenient at times but if you learn how to manage it, work with it, like your mind, you can access its full potential. This is why I eventually fell into studying the effects of martial arts and yoga. Focus, in all contexts, can be incredibly difficult. Being able to listen to your body and treat it well pumps new abilities into your mind and relaxes and strengthens your daily acts. A fit person is more resilient to pretty much everything! Conscious breathing exercises, for instance, increase blood flow which helps your brain, organs and extremities absorb more oxygen, which promotes overrall function and performance. Not everyone can or wants to do a spinning hook kick like Chuck Norris or is even motivated to buy a yoga mat. Basic physical fitness, however, can potentially solve many of the mind's shaky foundations. (Some of my colleagues go to the extreme by refusing to take on clients who do not exercise at least 3 times per week!) If a client is adamantly against taking up an exercise, I recommend daily walks. This alone has been proven to dramatically restructure certain mood disorders, such as depression.

Early in my career, I was struck by a particular work: Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. When I finished this short read my view on what is meaningful changed. In essence, I learned that meaning itself is the vital journey of an individual. Psychologists around the world recognize this approach and call it Existential Psychotherapy (EPT). In short, EPT is looking at your life through the lens of mortality, death. You will die. It is inevitable. Once a person fully acknowledges this, they can begin to live with completeness and according to their goals. I know it sounds a bit dark, the death topic, but the results speak for themselves. That death anxiety we all feel lurking around mysterious corners is transformed into productive energy, gratitude, and, most times, enhanced interpersonal relationships. Regrets become goals and purpose becomes less of an abstract concept. Of course, this therapy approach isn't for everyone and all situations. However, I find it useful in many. If you're curious, Dr. Irvin Yalom is famous for explaining this concept in simple prose.