Skillfully navigating negative thoughts, comparison thoughts, and general worries

Doing things right, perfect & precisely: perfectionism, Procrastinating, postponing and delaying

“The average human lifespan is absurd, terrifying, insultingly short. But that isn’t a reason for unremitting despair or for a living in an anxiety-fueled panic about making the most of your limited time. It’s a cause for relief. You get to give up on something that was always impossible – the quest to become the optimized, infinitely capable, emotionally, invincible, fully independent person you’re officially supposed to be. Then you get to roll up your sleeves and start work on that’s gloriously possible instead.” 

In the information era, it’s natural that everyone talks about productivity, time management and how to get things done. But Oliver Burkeman has a different take: “actually, you can’t do anything and you need to come to terms with that …” 

Key Takeaways

In this second part of my conversation with Oliver, we discussed:

  • How Oliver manages his worries, fears, and anxieties
  • How Oliver deals with negative thoughts
  • What bothers him about self-psychology
  • What emotions are 
  • His thoughts on the notion of work-life balance

This conversation with Oliver reminds me of that and the preciousness of being alive.

gratitude and acceptance

Resources

Resources from Dr. Z.

Show notes with time-stamps

00:00 Exploring the Impact of Books Beyond Intellectual Insights
02:00 The Challenge of Practicing Gratitude in Daily Life
04:01 Navigating Interruptions and Embracing Life’s Unpredictability
15:20 Critiquing Pop Psychology and Finding Balance
19:12 Distinguishing Meaning from Happiness
20:34 A Hypothetical Gathering: Choosing Influential Company
 

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About Dr. Z.

I’m originally from Bolivia, South America, and am a psychologist by training. I’m formally trained in empirically supported treatments, and when I say “formally,” I mean that since 2004 I have received intensive training in them, particularly in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). 

Over the past 18 years, I have created resources for and worked with overthinkers and overachievers dealing with all types of anxiety-related struggles: perfectionism, procrastination, productivity anxiety, uncertainty intolerance, indecision, impostor phenomenon, overthinking, phobias, rumination, panic, worry and obsessive-compulsive disorder. I absolutely love my job!

In 2019, I was nominated as a fellow by the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science because of my contributions related to the applications of ACT for anxiety-based struggles. I’m the author of seven books and the co-author of three (see the section on previously written books).

I’m the founder and director of the East Bay Behavior Therapy Center, a boutique private center in the San Francisco Bay Area that offers therapy and coaching for anyone experiencing anxiety-based struggles.

In 2023, I gave a TEDx talk, “Stop playing-it-safe and start living” that has more than 264K downloads.

While I’m a psychologist by training and science-based by passion, my style is jargon-free, accessible, caring, and lighthearted; teaching ACT skills doesn’t have to be boring or inaccessible, so I do my best to make every skill I teach—in any format—as engaging as possible. 

I believe that learning to navigate anxiety-based reactions is one of the key skills of the 21st century, and I’m passionate about it.

I'm passionate about disseminating ACT skills for anxiety-based struggles.

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