g85searching, I read your post on Buddhism. If you are still around, I would like to know how you are doing. One beginning thing that will help is learning to relax tension in the muscles. Our psychological frame of mind is connected to our body. If you can relax the body it will help calm the mind, for a time. Begin with the muscles in the face. Notice the tension there, and then relax the muscles. Then move down throughout the body. To notice the tension, we have to bring our attention to it. This is very easy to verify. You have tension in your face right now, but you just aren't aware of it. Using your attention is the beginning of meditation. Your mind is almost always tied to conceptual thinking. It's almost always either in the past or the future. This is the source of suffering. If you bring your attention to the present moment, through the relaxation (your body is always in the present moment) it will give temporary relief to your fears (which of course are emotional). You can do this any time. You can take one-minute breaks from life. This is a temporary solution to pain and suffering and fear. But it is also the beginning of a permanent solution. You just keep up the practice and it expands and deepens. Make it your refuge. You can practice what I've shared whether you study Buddhism, or not. Working with your attention is the basis of all spiritual practice, regardless of outer teaching. sdp