Philosophical Meditation | Video by The School of Life

The School of Life is a great source of videos, articles and other content on ‘developing emotional intelligence’ — basically, about the things that matter in life.

This video presents a westernised form of meditation that can be used to complement eastern (traditional) forms of meditation. It’s a little confusing that it’s called meditation at all… but I’ll forgive them because the technique itself is great.

It’s a simple process where you analyse the ‘unthought thoughts’ lingering in your mind — the anxieties, insecurities, hurts and hopes that you’ve not yet taken the time to analyse. Think of it as a method for declogging your mind.

Whilst eastern meditation can teach you about attachment and (hopefully) help you to reduce anxieties in number and intensity, a method such as philosophical meditation is a practical way to deal with the here and now. You feel anxious and overwhelmed — this is a great way to try and deal with it.