Current:Home > Scams5 strategies to help you cope with a nagging feeling of dread -AssetVision
5 strategies to help you cope with a nagging feeling of dread
View
Date:2025-04-15 06:33:35
The list of things we dread is almost endless: the Sunday scaries, climate change, deadlines, the holidays, simple errands, you name it.
So how can we feel better when we're anticipating the worst? I'm Saleem Reshamwala, host of More Than a Feeling, a podcast on emotions from the meditation and mindfulness platform Ten Percent Happier, and we partnered with Life Kit to share five practices for managing that nagging feeling of impending doom.
We've been exploring this theme in a mini-series in Season 2 of our podcast. And we've learned that dread isn't all that bad. It turns out there are some benefits in starting an open conversation about the things that worry us. "The purpose of dread is to help prepare you," says psychologist Ali Mattu. "It's to help you think about what might happen. It's to help you take actions that you can right now."
We talked to researchers, art therapists and death doulas to find out how to dread ... better.
Rewrite your dread
We often struggle to talk about dread because it can feel so heavy. Poet and clinical psychologist Hala Alyan has a suggestion: Write down the things you're concerned about. She shares a journal prompt to help you emotionally distance from your dread.
Draw your dread
What happens when we express our dread without words? Art therapist Naomi Cohen-Thompson and meditation teacher and writer Jeff Warren explain why reframing our attitudes toward dread nonverbally can help us accept what scares us.
Find the joy in dreading ... death
Fear of death may be the ultimate type of dread we face, but clinical psychologist Rachel Menzies and death doula Alua Arthur say that facing death can be a joyful exercise. They make a compelling case for why remembering we will die – instead of trying to forget – can help us accept the inevitable.
Schedule your dread
This is how my dread works: I dread something. I try to avoid thinking about it. I fail. Before I know it, I've spent an entire day stuck in an endless loop of worry. Mattu shares some tips around this conundrum, including the benefits of carving out "worry time" to keep dread from becoming too overwhelming.
Notice your surroundings
After speaking with More Than a Feeling listeners, it became clear that one of the biggest issues they're worried about right now is the state of our planet. I spoke with therapist Patty Adams, who helped me understand how connecting to the environment can help us build emotional resilience -- so that even if we feel paralyzed by "eco-dread," as it's called, we don't stay there for too long.
You can find our miniseries The Dread Project in the More Than a Feeling podcast feed, wherever you listen.
The audio portion of this episode was produced by Jen Poyant. The digital story was edited by Malaka Gharib. We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at LifeKit@npr.org.
Listen to Life Kit on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or sign up for our newsletter.
veryGood! (139)
Related
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney won't take live calls on weekly radio show
- 'Only Murders in the Building' Season 4: Release date, time, cast, where to watch mystery comedy
- EPA takes charge of Detroit-area cleanup of vaping supplies warehouse destroyed by explosions
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- Cornel West survives Democratic challenge in Wisconsin, will remain on state’s presidential ballot
- Spider-Man's Marisa Tomei Shares Sweet Part of Zendaya and Tom Holland Romance
- Group charged with stealing dozens of firearms in string of Maryland gun shop burglaries
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- NASCAR Cup Series heading to Mexico in 2025
Ranking
- Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
- 10-year-old boy dies in crash after man stole Jeep parked at Kenny Chesney concert: Police
- New Jersey woman accused of climbing into tiger's enclosure faces trespassing charge
- Vanderpump Rules’ Brittany Cartwright Files for Divorce From Jax Taylor After 5 Years of Marriage
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- Man charged in Arkansas grocery store shooting sued by woman who was injured in the attack
- Cooper Flagg, Duke freshman men's basketball phenom, joins New Balance on endorsement deal
- Blake Shelton and Dolly Parton Prove They'll Always Love the Late Toby Keith With Emotional Tributes
Recommendation
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
Nationals' Dylan Crews makes MLB debut on LSU teammate Paul Skenes' heels
Army private who fled to North Korea will plead guilty to desertion
From cold towels to early dismissal, people are finding ways to cope with a 2nd day of heat wave
Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
It's National Dog Day and a good time to remember all they give us
'Gossip Girl' actor Ed Westwick marries 'Supergirl' star Amy Jackson in Italy
US consumer confidence rises in August as Americans’ optimism about future improves