8 Don’t Let A nxiety Run Your Life
levels of positive feelings, both in intensity and in frequency
(Brown and Ryan 2003; Ortner, Kilner, and Zelazo 2007;
Chambers, Lo, and Allen 2008), and it can reduce mental
and physical stress (Hoffman et al. 2010). Mindfulness is
also associated with enhanced immune functioning, as well
as increased satisfaction in relationships (Barnes et al. 2007;
Wachs and Cordova 2007).
A question that commonly comes up about mindfulness
is related to its origin and its use in treating anxiety and other
psychological conditions. Although mindfulness is rooted
in Eastern meditative traditions, it neither represents a
foreign cultural ideology nor emphasizes a religious philoso-
phy. We will discuss mindfulness according to current scien-
tific theories and their applicability to managing emotions
and anxiety. This book will also provide you with guided
mindfulness practices that have direct therapeutic value and
that complement the skills reviewed in each chapter. In
chapter 1, we will review mindfulness in greater depth, but if
you still have questions, we encourage you to research on
your own the value of adopting a mindful approach to man-
aging anxiety and anxiety- related disorders.
How Emotion Regulation and
Mindfulness Can Help You
Outsmart Your Anxiety
A striking fact about these two fields of psychological
research (emotion regulation and mindfulness) is that they
share a number of things in common. Taken together, they
can provide a very powerful framework for helping people
gain mastery over the dysfunctional management of