Anxiety is an unwelcome visitor, showing up unexpectedly and making everything seem overwhelming. I know this all too well—not as a doctor or therapist, but as someone who has wrestled with anxiety for as long as I can remember. Early on, my way of coping with anxious thoughts was either to obsess over them or to push them aside, neither of which eased my discomfort. Everything changed when I discovered meditation. Through formal and informal awareness practices, I learned to relate to my anxiety more effectively and eventually found some relief.
One of the first benefits of meditation is developing steadiness of mind. Anchor practices, where we focus lightly on an object—whether it’s a sensory experience, word, mantra, or phrase—helps cultivate robust, flexible attention. This is crucial when working with anxiety because a steady mind makes hard times more manageable.
Early in my meditation practice, phrases were the anchor that most effectively stopped me from getting swept away by anxious thoughts and big feelings. When I felt overwhelmed, silently repeating a phrase like “This is what it is right now,” “Drop the baggage,” or “Right now, I’m okay” helped me stay present without suppressing or avoiding my feelings. Straightforward phrases like these steadied my mind and gave me enough headspace to better understand what was making me nervous.
But phrases can do more than just steady your mind. Lojong—a Tibetan Buddhist practice that uses fifty-nine phrases—can also shift your perspective, helping you view challenges as opportunities. Lojong was introduced to Tibet in the eleventh century by the Indian sage Atisha, who taught it as part of a seven-point mind-training program. The short, easy to remember lojong phrases, or slogans, include: “Make adversity the path of awakening,” “Whatever happens, be patient,” “Don’t expect applause,” and “Don’t misinterpret.”
By reflecting on phrases like these, we gradually adopt a new attitude toward life’s challenges by cultivating openness and compassion. It may be human nature to want to control our experiences, but when we try to control what’s outside of our control, it’s a recipe for anxiety. Through the practice of lojong, we learn to approach difficulties with acceptance and curiosity, allowing us to find peace even in stressful situations.
When we experience anxiety or another difficult emotion, a natural impulse is to push it away. Lojong slogans are designed to help us stay with complex feelings—to open our mind to new ideas and different perspectives instead of shutting down and narrowing our view.
Lojong can be practiced anytime, anywhere. While formal meditation is an ideal setting for working with lojong, slogan practice doesn’t require a cushion or quiet room. You can practice while stuck in traffic, on a lunch break, or during a tough conversation.
Here’s how to get started with lojong practice.
1. Choose a Slogan
One lojong slogan that’s helpful for dealing with anxiety is “Don’t be swayed by external circumstances.” Feel free to just practice with that slogan. Alternatively, find a copy of The Root Text of the Seven Points of Training the Mind by Chekawa Yeshe Dorje, which lists all fifty-nine lojong slogans. Read through the list and choose one that resonates with you. Trust your intuition. You don’t need to take a class or study commentary to start working with a slogan, but if you’d like a deeper understanding, it can be helpful to turn to teachers like B. Alan Wallace, Ken McLeod, Pema Chödrön, Norman Fischer, or Judy Lief. Some of the slogans are difficult to understand without some explanation from a teacher.
2. Contemplate the Slogan
Repeat the slogan. It doesn’t matter whether you repeat it silently or out loud. Repeating a slogan silently is most effective when you’re in public or during formal meditation. Saying it aloud privately or at home can help you integrate the slogan into your daily routine.
Notice how your body feels as you work with a slogan. Are your shoulders tense? Is your jaw tight? Let your body soften and relax as you hold the slogan in mind to ease the physical tension often associated with anxiety.
There’s no set rule for how long to work with a slogan or how many times to repeat it. Once again, trust your intuition. Over time, steady repetition helps integrate the slogan into your way of seeing the world, making it a quiet guide in your daily actions.
3. Apply the Slogan in Daily Life
Lojong slogans invite gentle contemplation. Hold one lightly in your mind and notice what insights arise naturally. Carry the slogan with you throughout your day, observing how it applies to real situations. For example, the slogan “Be grateful to everyone” can shift how you relate to difficult people, encouraging you to approach them with greater appreciation and compassion.
Consider how the slogan you chose can reframe difficult situations. Does it offer a new perspective or insight that helps you approach challenges more openly and compassionately?
While working with lojong, balance is key. Cultivating compassion and open-mindedness doesn’t mean ignoring your own needs or tolerating harmful behavior. Strive for a balance between compassion, openness, and maintaining healthy boundaries.
All fifty-nine of the lojong slogans encourage us to let our experiences be rather than trying to manipulate or escape them.
When we experience pleasure, we may cling to it, afraid it will slip away. Lojong slogans encourage us not to hold onto good fortune so tightly but to extend it to others (even those we find challenging) by wishing them well.
When we experience everyday struggles, lojong slogans help us approach them as stepping stones toward personal growth rather than obstacles. Lojong offer a powerful method to reframe our attitude toward anxiety and other challenges. Even when we’re anxious, there are opportunities to be free.
