Transcend 'AI' Fear & Anxiety

Do you struggle with fear around AI?
Maybe automation is already affecting your life and creating uncertainty...
You're not alone.
AI is already a top-5 human fear currently.
It will likely climb higher.

This practice is not a magic fix. It simply helps you become aware of your response and transform the fear around AI.
Inviting you to come back to a place of grounded-ness - a much healthier and often more helpful way to navigate life.

Take this time to reflect, breathe, and explore how we can meet our anxieties with openness and compassion.

Much love,
Felix

Credits:
Mix: Felix New & Shameer
Music: John Broughton (BMI)

Transcript

Welcome to this AI anxiety meditation. Just take a moment to arrive here. Notice your feet, Ground beneath you, Any points of contact with surfaces, Any fabric on your skin, How your breath is flowing right now, Through the nose, All of that just gently reminds you that you're here in this moment, In this present moment. Right now, You're not in some kind of future scenario or in the past, You're right here. And just really letting your brain and your body take that in, The gentle repose of this moment, Sounds, Sensations, Everything going on within you, Regardless of in what kind of state your nervous system is, Just notice being here, Allowing your shoulders to soften and your breath just to flow naturally. And just notice in what kind of nervous system state you're in right now, You don't have to be an expert to be able to determine that, Just see if you're activated right now, Restless, Your mind searching for solutions, Maybe feeling fearful, Stressed, Anxious, Or if you're more shut down, Cold, Sort of like you've given up, That kind of energy, There's no right or wrong, It's just noticing where you are, We can work with both today, Or maybe you're somewhere in the middle. So if you are on the more activated scale of things, See if you can just slightly prolong your exhale, Which will help your body to calm, Your mind to settle, So maybe that you've been holding your breath, Now you can just prolong the exhale. And if you're more shut down, Just see if you can feel your hand on your heart, That warm contact, And see if there's anything that you can do that brings you more into this moment right now, Maybe really enjoying that in-breath, Feeling how you're getting that fresh oxygen supply, Just gentle ripples of aliveness, And those gentle ripples of aliveness can be enjoyed by all of us regardless of where we may find ourselves. So I don't know if you can hear that, But there was just an ambulance or police car that drove past, I think it's gone now, Ringing the alarm, Sounding the alarm, And for many of us that can feel like that, We hear about AI and ultimately survival, Ultimately survival, Right? Last night I watched a video way too late, But a part of me just felt like, I have to know, I have to know. It was something about superintelligence and AI replacing our jobs and ultimately replacing us and us losing control, Right? And it can be really activating and overwhelming, Leading to shutdown, It's unique for us how we respond. But just noticing that in this moment right now, You are safe enough to pause. In this exact moment, There is no problem to solve right now. You'll be okay if you keep breathing and being here. And remembering that your nervous system is not malfunctioning, It's doing its best to keep you safe, Depending on what it believes you're experiencing. For many of us, There can be so many different parts at play here. There can be fear about the future, Imagining apocalyptic scenarios. There can be anger at companies and governments for taking such risks without asking our consent, Essentially. There can be a part of us trying to control, Just trying to prepare, Trying to keep us safe, Seeing if there's something we can do. There can be hopelessness saying it's already too late, I'm doomed, We're doomed. And there can be distraction as well, Reaching for food, Screens, Whatever it is. And just remembering that each of these voices, Each of these parts, Are just trying to protect you. Just like your nervous system, It's not malfunctioning, They're not malfunctioning, They believe this is the best for you right now, This is what needs to be done. So whatever is present for you right now, You can repeat this again later, But let's just work with what is here right now. If it feels right for you, You could just say, Thank you for caring. You don't have to carry all of this by yourself. Thank you for trying to help, Thank you for trying to keep me safe. If this is your distracting part, If this is your angry part, If this is your sad part, Your controlling part, Just showing appreciation, Even if you don't always like it and the effect that it has on your life. And it can be really important to remember that instead of trying to silence or push away or resist, Simply being with what is present is the most beautiful and most powerful thing we can do many times. So sensing within yourself what's present right now for you, Often that can be communicated through sensations in the body, Tension in certain areas, Or specific looping thoughts, Thoughts, Concerns, Must do's, Things to watch out for. Whatever is present for you right now, See if you can just be with those sensations, Those thoughts, The level of activation or shutdown or in between. As you know that it's trying to help, See if you can just feel it and be with it here. Just acceptance of it, Without it needing to change, It can be just as it is. Your grounded self that is here has the capacity to hold it in this present moment as it is. A little bit of pain and discomfort physically, Emotionally, Is okay. No pain, No gain is not necessarily the best saying ever created, But there's probably some grain of truth in that, But maybe we can also get beyond the idea of having to gain anything, And just like a good friend who's not trying to gain anything by supporting you, Just being here because you care. In this space you might start to notice those ripples of activation or whatever it is for you that comes up. They might slowly start to creep forward, Present themselves to be witnessed. And as your grounded self here, Just holding that space, Just holding that space, Just holding that space, And just checking in how you feel towards those parts of you. Are you grateful for what they do, How they're trying to help? Do you have compassion, Care? Is there anything you'd like to ask or be curious about? Now's the space, Now's the time. Maybe it really just wants to be heard, And maybe no one's going to do it for you. Maybe this is your space, Your opportunity. No one outside of you can do it for you, Or fix you, Or provide you with the relief that you're looking for. This is an internal job. And as much as AI presses so many of our survival buttons, AI is a filler, AI is just a context. Because not everyone feels the same. Some people might feel very much at peace, And there could be a degree of blissful ignorance there, Or denial. Just remembering, Without making anything wrong, Or shaming yourself, Or feeling like you shouldn't be feeling in any way, Just remembering this is an opportunity to hold space for your vulnerability, That even if AI vanished tomorrow, It would come up again with a different topic. So just checking in again, If there's anything that wants to be heard or witnessed, Felt. So as you feel your groundedness and the ripples of that within your system, Spreading out a little bit more, Let's just reflect on ways that people tend to respond to these kinds of situations. They can be pushing away, Not wanting to think about it, You could say denial, Getting angry, Trying to bargain for safety. What if I learn everything, What if I do everything right, Maybe I'll be okay. And then feeling heavy or hopeless, Like nothing matters, Like it's all too late. And then sometimes we might get a glimpse or deeper connection of our grounded self and maybe even a level of acceptance, That may say something like, Yeah the future is uncertain, But I have today, I can live today and make today meaningful. And we all have parts of these responses, We ebb and flow between them, But it's just good to zoom out sometimes because when we're entangled, We just believe that's everything there is. But when you look at the map, You're like, Okay, I'm here, Or I'm here, Or I'm here, But there's other places too. And beneath all of that, There is your grounded self. Sometimes I can feel like warmth or just a flicker of hope or more presence. So see if you can sense that here right now, Beneath it all, That sense of okayness, More than okayness in many ways, That there is no problem to solve right now. Just pure awareness that is very accepting, Surrendered, Flowing, Just making the best of every moment, Taking it as it comes. It doesn't mean not taking action, Just a different way of being. More grounded, More rooted, A great leader if you ask me. Personally, I find one of the most tricky things about this whole AI thing and super intelligence and all these fears and situations, Dynamics, Is that we can't control it, Right? It's sort of that feeling of organizations, Governments, Whatever. There's something happening beyond my control, I can do nothing about it and it's going to affect me. But there can also be a sense of freedom that can come when we realize that we can't control the situation because then we can focus on what we can control, How we live today, The choices that we make from the choices that we can make. That can be quite freeing because trying to control something that you can't control, Trying to single-handedly save the world from technology, That's a big task. So simplify it, Come back to right now, To today. How can you make today meaningful and how can you create the future that feels aligned with who you want to be? All right, And with all of that we reflected on, That can be quite heavy, That can be quite a lot. I mean, Ultimately talking about survival, Life and death, Right? So see if you can, With some conscious breaths, Just move that energy through, Taking in fresh air on the in-breath and releasing anything that wants to go on the out-breath. Just to help you be more present in this moment, Maybe you'd even like to shake fingers, Legs, Body, Whatever is shakable for you right now. And again, Just sensing where you are, Those points of contact, Your breath, Your shoulders, Your jaw, And thanking all parts of you for what they shared today, For the wisdom of your body, Wisdom of your emotions, The beauty of your heart. And just listen one more time if there's anything that wants to be heard, Any guidance. And setting the intention for how you want to move forward from here on, It can be really simple, Just be more present or notice my breath more, Shake my body more, Whatever it is. Have a beautiful day or night, Much love. Soak up these soothing vibes.