{"podcast":{"title":"Dharma Lab","slug":"dharma-lab-7434763","podcast_index_feed_id":7434763,"rss_url":"https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/5564335.rss","website_url":"https://www.dharmalab.co/podcast","image_url":"https://substackcdn.com/feed/podcast/5564335/e3a306c6015de00f1762f20685aa2e3c.jpg","author":"Dharma Lab","episode_count":42,"summary":"Modern neuroscience and ancient contemplative wisdom on life's most important questions. By Dr. Richard J. Davidson and Dr. Cortland Dahl.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-30T22:17:02.579102+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/dharma-lab-7434763"},"episode":{"title":"DL Ep.26: Four Science-Backed Skills to Deal with Anxiety","slug":"dl-ep-26-four-science-backed-skills-to-deal-with-anxiety","published_at":"2026-02-24T12:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/dharma-lab-7434763/dl-ep-26-four-science-backed-skills-to-deal-with-anxiety","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/dharma-lab-7434763","url":"https://www.dharmalab.co/p/dl-ep26-four-science-backed-skills","audio_url":"https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/188651263/4dcc86c06e860b8ba382a5159340e7a8.mp3","summary":"Flourishing is multi-dimensional. In today’s episode of Dharma Lab, we apply the four dimensions of flourishing (awareness, connection, insight, and purpose), to something we all experience: anxiety . When these skills are at our fingertips, we can deploy different ones in different contexts, or bring several to bear at once. Together, they form a rich set of practices to enhance well-being in everyday life. Our discussion explores anxiety as an evolutionary feature of the human brain rather than a personal defect; how it is rooted in the brain’s tendency to predict potential threats; and how it may reflect something fundamentally wholesome: a drive to protect and care. Podcast Chapter List: 00:00 – Short-Circuiting Resistance: A New Way to Relate to Anxiety01:03 – Why Anxiety Is Normal (And Even Necessary)04:29 – The Brain as a Prediction Machine06:16 – Anxiety as an Evolutionary Safety System10:05 – The Four Dimensions of Flourishing12:12 – Skill #1: Awareness and Mindfulness in Moments of Anxiety16:26 – Acceptance and the Reduction of Resistance19:05 – Meta-Awareness and What Happens in the Brain20:31 – Making Friends With Anxiety22:18 – Skill #2: Connection and Appreciation24:12 – Common Humanity and the “Just Like Me” Practice26:06 – Kindness as a Regulator of Emotion29:16 – Skill #3: Insight Into Beliefs and Expectations33:32 – Recognizing Anxious Thought Patterns in Real Time36:58 – Skill #4: Purpose as a Buffer Against Stress37:30 – Research on Teachers, Purpose, and Recovery41:17 – Turning Struggle Into Fuel for Service43:15 – Purpose and Physiological Recovery45:04 – Why These Four Skills Work Together47:17 – Applying the Four Dimensions to Everyday Anxiety Our new book is coming out next month! Pre-order Born to Flourish and get: * Live access to an exclusiv…","meta_description":"Flourishing is multi-dimensional. In today’s episode of Dharma Lab, we apply the four dimensions of flourishing (awareness, connection, insight, and purpo…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2868,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/dharma-lab-7434763/episodes/dl-ep-26-four-science-backed-skills-to-deal-with-anxiety/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/dharma-lab-7434763/dl-ep-26-four-science-backed-skills-to-deal-with-anxiety.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}