38:50 - "You never had control, all you have is anxiety... What is happening now is that you are not losing control, you are realizing that you never had it." Deep and inspiring.
Hi there. I'm actually watching this in 2024. It feels like I'm coming from the future. I am, in a way. It amazes me how everything Liz said stays true outside the context of a pandemic. It's a great experience of love witnessing people organizing these sort of thing back then so that they could help other people in some way. It is 2024 and I spent an hour watching this and taking notes and I was helped by people from the past. By something someone once said. Acts of love last forever. Thank you :)
“It seems to me that the less I fight my fear, the less it fights back. If I can relax, fear relaxes, too.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
I don’t know why people are complaining about the length of that video, every minute of it had extremely powerful words of beautiful, unique wisdom. I even took notes :) Thank you Chris, Helen, Liz and TED ❤️
because people nowadays are used to short, very graphic video content and anything more than 10 min long makes them anxious, smh... I personally loved this video, it didn't feel like an hour and it was very helpful.
Just when I think I can’t love her any more, she becomes even more lovable. What an exceedingly wise woman who constantly channels the perfect message. Thank you, Liz!
Everyone in the comments complaining about the length of the video, but I wanted to THANK you guys for taking this time to reassure so many of us who are not coping with this well.
"the hardest person in the universe to BE with is yourself ..." so potent. Just that! and walk toward our most painful emotions without resistance - curiosity is the key. Brilliant Liz!
Didn’t intend to hear the whole thing but could not stop. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Liz Gilbert! Excellent interview, excellent interviewers👍👍👍
Yes, there are loving, caring persons everywhere who would dearly delight in helping anyone in their hour of need. As a teenager I worked for two telephone help lines. People would call to have someone listen to them. It was beautiful to be part of such a moment of one human connecting to another human. Both sides win.🌈
Suggesting you listen the last 10 minutes of her talk if you give up early. It was very intimate, thank Chris for the question and Elizabeth for sharing 💌
This was literally the answer I have been waiting for far longer than this particular crisis. I too have had numerous close loved ones cross over the past decade. I have chosen to retreat into my sacred space and try to get back the inner peace of my I AM self that was broken after 911. After having empathic overload on top of my own personal suffering I finally truly surrendered. After much prayer and meditation especially during the past Holy Days I am once again back on track. Thank you so much for hosting this, for the thoughtful questions and especially to Elizabeth Gilbert in my home state who I cannot thank enough. Much love to everyone 🙏🏼❤️☮️✨🐬
I feel so close to Elizabeth, even though she is way wiser than me, I feel like we could be great friends, never felt that like that for anyone else before! What a precious feeling :)
I chose to mostly help a few people. I have a young coworker who was already in a lot of trouble before Covid. She was facing eviction. I am helping her find a new home, helped by the fact that all evictions are on hold for a good bit of time. I bring her food so she doesn’t have to go to the store with her five year old. I bring her laundry home so that I can sanitize it ( we are both nurses). Helping her, along with my strong practices of yoga, meditation and sobriety, along with praying for others, sharing food, gloves and masks with neighbors has kept me very calm. I only freak out for about five minutes a day, usually in conjunction with my anger at certain leaders. I don’t post angry rants on Facebook.....I PM one or two good friends and dump an obscenity laced tirade, then I ask them to delete it. Serve, love,give....purify, meditate, realize.
A beautiful interview. " I keep my grain in the belly of my neighbor " and " I can only help a few I cannot help everyone" " Do what you can reasonably do " indeed. Thank you ..I've been so overwhelmed 😍
To me, Elizabeth Gilbert is an unbelievably extraordinary kind of person. Sometimes I wonder, how a person like her exists in these days. Her words are so enchanting & so relaxing & so powerful that I could hear her talk for hours...
I’m first watching this on November 19, 2021 and everything Elizabeth is saying is so relevant today. This video is resonating with me so much. It means even more to me now than had I had watched this when it first took place. 🙏🏻💖✨💫
I love Elizabeth Gilbert-- so authentic and raw. I appreciate how open she is about her anxiety, allowing us all to feel more comfortable with our human-ness during this time.
Yes, but how could we have known? Maybe we are simply optimistic and positive people and unfortunatly sometimes the pessimists are right. Also it seemed so much like a movie from early on that I felt like " come on, this can't be true"
Loved this interview, all of it was simply a delight. And they are all so sympatico! That means likeable in italian, but actually it means more, it also encompasses warm, positive, authentic . I also especially liked Chris Anderson and the way he did the Interview, the way he is so authentic and showing his feelings about the subject. There was also such a nice energy within the 3 of them...thank you for that! Was the most helpful thing I have seen about the Corona situation so far...
This is my second listen. First in mid-April, and now again in July - 5 months into the pandemic. I needed to hear it again, and I came away with different coping tools this time. Always incredibly inspiring and full of love, thank you Elizabeth, Chris and Helen!!!
Had a abusive run-in with a man with narcissist personality disorder. It's a been a couple of weeks ago, and still feeling overwhelmed. I translated what she was discussing about the pandemic to my current situation and it has been very helpful! Great talk and great interviewers too.
I was at one point feeling such pain in the center of my heart that I reached out to the Heavens and asked: And now what do I do with this pain? and a Mantra came: Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo. this means I acknowledge the universal creative, I bow to the Divine teacher. This mantra gave a place to my pain and transformed it
This is fantastic. The complaining is the ego's resistance to being slain; not knowing that as it surrenders it will actually get free. Grief surrenders us to a whole new life which will unplug from ego and liberate like never before.
I think this was really fantastic. Some wonderful wisdom. I'd like to add the only thing I feel is missing, which I am discovering when fear, anger and other uncomfortable feelings come up. Which is how this circumstance brings up our own deepest traumas and issues that we have experienced in our lives. I am process at deeper levels my own fear from various traumas. Also feelings of isolation from child hood. It's amazing to see this time can help us work through them more deeply...and our experiences help us meet this and move through this in better ways. I'm looking forward to hearing more of these conversations.
Finding this now, coming from the UK where we are unfortunately now in a 3rd lockdown, I wish I had found this sooner. I will definitely be sharing this with others. Thank you xx
Thank you so much for reading the letter to yourself! Wow. It was so powerful. This whole thing was great. Love never gives unsolicited advice. I need to hear this. I try to fix everything and everyone and I just need to be there for them. Wow
The most memorable part for me is the last 5 minutes when Liz talks about the letters from love and actually reads one out. It blew me away! It’s changed a lot for me and a practice I have now started ❤️can’t thank you enough. Liz’s voice is enough even to make me feel comforted 😊xx
Ahh.. The right person to interview for this. Her book The Signature of All Things has a beautiful story about the fever tree that has come to mind recently.
Crushing loneliness is part and parcel of modern living and what is most vital is to have a strong faith in the power of God our Creator. He brought us to Life and He takes us away from Life. Its a matter of time .No human can last forever. Faith is the passion that keep humans going by His giving mercy and compassion every minite of our Life. Leave things in the hands of God yet make things move towards comfort in a positive manner. Read Biblical Books for they give Light in darkness and makes us even stronger and calm in times of corona grief .
Being self centered is like being in quick sand, come up out of your self and do something besides feeling sorry for your self. Walk, Run, ride a bike, get some fresh air. Be sweet to you. It will be a nice place to be. Ask God for guidance and support and you will be able to walk through this maze of confusion. It works every time. Love and hugs ❣️💞 m. K.
So well articulated, as our world faces one of great nightmares... and the reminders to: stay present & walk INTO this experience... and to replace our self imposed pressures of things like “passion & purpose” with “curiosity”.
Thank you so much 🙌🙏 humbling and inspiring 🙏 I love the experience of writing a letter each day to myself out of pure love and compassion 💖🙌 sending you love and compassion from Carthage in Tunisia 💖💐🇹🇳
00:00 Chris Anderson welcomes Elizabeth Gilbert, author of "Eat, Pray, Love," to discuss creative living beyond fear. 00:12 Chris Anderson greets Helen Walters and asks how she's doing. 00:15 Chris Anderson acknowledges the challenging times some people are facing and hopes the conversation will provide therapy and help. 00:18 Chris Anderson mentions the emotional landscape of our lives and introduces Elizabeth Gilbert as an extraordinary author. 00:26 Chris Anderson acknowledges the tough times some listeners may be experiencing. 00:32 Chris Anderson hopes the conversation with Elizabeth Gilbert will provide therapy and help. 00:39 Elizabeth Gilbert is introduced as an extraordinary author known for her best-selling success with "Eat, Pray, Love." 00:49 Elizabeth Gilbert's favorite book, "Big Magic," explores creative living beyond fear. 01:08 The conversation will focus on the emotional landscape of our lives and creative living beyond fear. 01:15 Elizabeth Gilbert's writing describes the emotional landscape of our lives in a unique way. 01:21 Elizabeth Gilbert's writing resonates with readers beyond her target audience. 01:28 Elizabeth Gilbert's TED Talk, "In pursuit of your creative genius," reframed how people think of creativity. 01:46 Elizabeth Gilbert is welcomed to the TED Connects stage. 01:59 Chris Anderson asks Elizabeth Gilbert about her current situation in New Jersey. 02:04 Elizabeth Gilbert is in New Jersey, living alone in a house in the country. 02:15 Elizabeth Gilbert has had no human contact for 17 days, except virtually. 02:30 Elizabeth Gilbert's experience of isolation relates to what many people are currently experiencing. 02:36 Isolation brings difficult emotions, which will be discussed in the next hour. 02:47 Chris Anderson lists the topics to be discussed: anxiety, loneliness, curiosity, creativity, procrastination, grief, connection, and hope. 03:02 Elizabeth Gilbert agrees to discuss the wide range of human emotions. 03:15 Anxiety is a prevalent emotion during these times, affecting oneself, loved ones, and the world. 03:25 We are all going through a difficult time. 03:28 Liz, have you been feeling anxious? 03:31 EG encourages self-compassion for difficult emotions. 03:36 EG admits to feeling anxiety. 03:37 Feeling anxiety is normal in this situation. 03:43 Don't shame yourself for feeling frightened and anxious. 03:45 EG advises showing compassion towards yourself. 03:48 Give yourself mercy for the difficult emotions. 03:50 Understand that your emotions are understandable. 03:54 Don't let your emotions about emotions become a bigger problem. 03:58 Feeling frightened and anxious is okay. 04:01 Don't layer shame on top of your anxiety. 04:03 Don't feel like you should be handling it better. 04:09 Don't feel like you should be doing isolation better. 04:13 Don't feel like you should be creating more while alone. 04:16 Don't feel like you should be serving the world in some better way. 04:18 Multiplying suffering by adding shame is not helpful. 04:21 The antidote is showing warm, loving compassion towards yourself. 04:23 Be kind to yourself if you're feeling anxiety. 04:27 If you're anxious, you deserve mercy. 04:31 Anxiety is a form of suffering. 04:33 Show mercy to yourself if you're suffering. 04:36 The central paradox of human emotions is anxiety. 04:39 Humans are the most anxious species on earth. 04:42 Humans can imagine a future, which causes anxiety. 04:49 Humans are both emotionally bad and good at fear and anxiety. 04:57 Humans are anxious but also capable and resilient. 05:04 Humans can imagine terrifying possibilities. 05:16 Anything can happen to anyone at any moment. 05:23 Humans can imagine scary scenarios. 05:33 One of the scariest things is happening now. 05:43 Humans are emotionally stirred up by their imaginations. 05:50 Humans are also capable and resilient in times of change. 06:07 Humans are good at adapting to change. 06:15 Remembering our adaptability can help reduce fear. 06:25 Look at history and personal experiences to find resilience. 06:37 Recognize what you have survived to ease anxiety. 06:43 Panic and anxiety about the future harm the nervous system. 06:48 In emergencies, intuition guides people on what to do. Trust your intuition when the point of emergency arrives. 07:32 Fear is there to direct behavior and avoid danger, but it can get out of control. Turn fear into something useful. 07:58 Amanda Eller's survival story shows human resourcefulness and adaptability. She asked for her fear to be taken away and replaced by intuition. 10:00 Intuition can guide us in the moment, eliminating fear. Surrendering to intuition leads to a navigational system within us, telling us what to do. Being present and avoiding thoughts of the future can prevent suffering. 10:40 Practicing spirituality or meditation prepares us for moments like these. Liz emphasizes the importance of focusing on the present moment and letting go of the future. Many people are suffering emotionally during this time. 11:55 Loneliness is inevitable, but it can be faced. Liz has experienced isolation before and suggests walking towards loneliness. Developing compassion for oneself is crucial in enduring solitude. 13:35 Loneliness is a problem, and people need kindness towards themselves. It's an interesting time to practice self-kindness. 13:46 People are avoiding isolation by filling their time with constant online meetings and parties. However, rushing away from the experience of being alone can prevent personal transformation. 14:02 The current situation has taken away our usual distractions and pacifiers. This can be an opportunity for personal growth and transformation if approached with curiosity and an open mind. 14:30 Don't be in a hurry to escape from experiences that can transform you. Sometimes, the most transformative experiences are the ones we want to run away from. 14:48 A story about the Dalai Lama's teacher walking towards danger during the Chinese invasion of Tibet illustrates the value of facing difficult situations. First responders also demonstrate this bravery. 15:17 Approaching difficult and painful emotions with curiosity and an open mind can lead to emotional growth. Compassion and lessons in compassion can be found in this experience. 15:42 Let's have universal mercy and compassion towards people in solitary confinement. This experience can inspire change in the prison system and empathy towards those who have lost loved ones. 16:12 There is an opportunity for personal growth during this time, but it requires a whimsical curiosity and a willingness to face challenges head-on. 16:27 Curiosity is an important mindset to have during this time. Instead of just following passions, it's a chance to dive deep into what you've always wanted to do. 16:42 In "Big Magic," the author argues that following passion is not always wise. Instead, she suggests following curiosity, as passion and purpose can cause anxiety and pressure. 16:55 The author wants to replace the concept of passion with curiosity, which is a gentler experience with lower stakes. Curiosity allows you to explore without changing your entire life. 17:37 Passion and purpose are often seen as everything, but the author believes curiosity is a better approach. Curiosity is a simple, universal experience that doesn't require drastic life changes. 18:15 Instead of searching for a grand passion or purpose, the author suggests paying attention to the small breadcrumbs of curiosity. Slowing down and being present can reveal new paths. 18:35 During isolation, many people expected to be productive and creative, but anxiety can hinder progress. The author advises finding moments of silence and reducing external stimuli for a more creative environment. 19:41 To be creative, isolate yourself from the news. Read the New York Times for 40 minutes each day. Avoid bringing in more news to prevent trauma and maintain focus. 20:14 Be a good steward of your senses by choosing what you expose yourself to. Decide what you put your senses in front of and be disciplined about it. 20:24 Gratitude for Liz's calming presence. Questions about managing grief at a large scale. Grief cannot be managed, it must be allowed and felt. 21:49 Experiencing the loss of a loved one. Surviving grief by allowing yourself to feel it. Metaphor of a monk walking into conflict. Have the courage to face grief head-on. 22:26 Story of a chaplain delivering bad news. Witnessing people's worst moments. Universal collapse when receiving devastating news. 23:09 When faced with a devastating loss, the initial wave of grief is intense but short-lived, lasting only about half an hour. Afterward, people start to calm down and think about practical matters like funeral arrangements. 23:55 After experiencing a traumatic event, humans have a remarkable ability to rebuild their lives. They may still grieve, but they can also make plans and take the next steps forward.
It's okay to be overwhelmed. Try to embrace and control your emotion and mind to it. Because you're the one who can do so. Not all thoughts are meant to be answered and that's okay.
