If you are going to trip you need to learn how to boost yourself out of negative states.
You can proactively shift states at any time, rather than having them control you.
Practice causing yourself to feel happy, excited, confident, calm, loving, etc. Practice shifting state.

I would recommend next time this flares up hard, you close the door, sit back and get comfortable, and dive into whatever anxiety/depression you have.  Be aware of it, all of it, and let it be there, surrender completely to whatever emotions you have.  Now you have to listen,  questions like "am I hiding something from myself" "what thoughts are making me feel this way"  etc can be helpful because the idea is you want to really feel the emotion, let it be there, find the associated thoughts/limiting beliefs to that emotion, listen to those beliefs/thoughts, do you agree with them?  Maybe you just have to feel out the emotion and let it dissolve, maybe you have some limiting beliefs that are just nonsense.  Some things that MIGHT pop up in this case just by reading your one paragraph so don't take them too seriously could be along the lines of "I need someone else in my life to be happy", "I don't love myself","she won't stay if I don't show her just how much I love her".  You might also come to realize that you just feel really empty and lonely, and need to embrace that, feel it, love it if you can.  You aren't alone though, I hope you find some peace

@Ashlyn I see. Sounds like you're resisting something.
Have you tried contemplating what the root issue is? As in: why do you feel the need to do that?
Ultimately what you want to do here is to become conscious that all the above is something that YOU ARE DOING. Right now you're not conscious that you are doing it, in the sense that it feels like something that is happening to you. To change this, you must take ownership of it. So step 1 is: "Okay, I suspect I am doing this, but I'm not sure how or why", and step 2 is: "Okay, now let me get to the rock bottom of why I am doing this. What does it get me? How is it serving me? What is it protecting me from? What bad thing would happen if I stopped doing it?"
Sit down with a journal, set aside a couple hours, and really bore into this. You want to get to the rock bottom of it so that you're clear and conscious of what it is and why it is. It's clearly serving your survival in some fashion. As you investigate this, the goal is not to go back into your past and find justifications or causes. It doesn't really matter what happened in the past. What matters is why you still feel the need to keep doing it today.
If you are able to reach the rock bottom, you should feel some release. But you have to actually reach the true source of this, not just some ideas or opinions. You need the actual source. And the source may not be what you think it is. It is often something counter-intuitive like a belief such as: I am fundamentally unlovable, or, I am afraid I will die, or, I am worthless, or, I am afraid that if I give my love freely it will kill me, or, I need money to be happy, etc.
If I were you I'd contemplate this deeply sober. Then I would take some mushrooms or LSD and contemplate it again during the trip until the issue because very clear. Psychedelics are perfect for this kind of self-reflective work.
Fundamentally what's happening here is that the ego is sabotaging itself because it has a deeply flawed understanding of itself and life. The ego is stuck in some sort of unconscious survival pattern which it feels it needs.
You could also try to address this issue from a somatic perspective. See my video: Shamanic Breathing and use that technique every day for a week and see what comes up. That should open up various blockages in your body.
Practices like Hatha yoga might be helpful for you. Also see my video on Body Awareness. It sounds like you live too much in your head and are disconnected from your body. Body awareness practices can reconnect you with your body.

Hehe, that's mostly what self-help as a field/industry is. That's okay. It's mostly geared towards stage Orange/Green folks. There are still very important lessons there, just don't expect it to come anywhere near the depth of the stuff I teach.
Most self-help does not include a metaphysical, epistemological, or spiritual component. As a result, it cannot possibly be profound or an ultimate solution. But I'm still a big fan of even that type of basic stage Orange self-help. People really need it in our society. In fact, most people who follow me probably need it more than they need my metaphysical musings. Metaphysical stuff is quite advanced and assumes you've already handled other basic parts of life.
Of course Reddit is not a high-quality source of life advice. You should expect a lot of keyboard-jockeys there. For the best advice, read quality books.

@MM1988 There is skill and there are principles to dating, just like there is with golf, tennis, driving a car, or meditation.
You are framing what I said as "This is so inauthentic and artificial". But once you actually internalize the skill of proper texting, it will become authentic and natural.
Every skill you learned was at one point inauthentic and artificial, from mathematics to reading to writing to typing on the computer.
I am not saying you need to keep a file of canned text messages. Once you understand the principles of texting with a girl, you can generate an infinite number of spontaneous texts. Without learning this skill, your text messages will suck and you will lose girls by committing stupid mistakes which only years later will you understand why.
People expect to be good at sex and dating "naturally" without any deliberate practice. Because love is supposed to be "natural". This is a silly double-standard. Nowhere else in life do you adopt this attitude. If you want to be good at something you must train and recognize principles. Girls will appreciate it when you don't creep them out with your texts.

@mandyjw If you have young kids who demand a lot of your time you may just have to focus on them for a few years until they are more independent and then return to serious spiritual pursuits.
In the meantime you can study theory and maintain a mild daily practice of 30-60 minutes. You can also do a few yearly meditation retreats or psychedelic retreats.
Sometimes in this work you must inch your way up. Be creative. Find ways which fit your existing obligations.
But also, don't fool yourself into thinking that watching Borat is spiritual work. You must be brutally honest about whether the techniques you're using are actually raising your consciousness.

In my experience to fully let go of something I need to see its emptiness and it looses its power over me. Demonizing something will not dissolve your desire to engage in what you are demonizing.
When it is time it will fall away like you have shed a layer of skin. Then you are free of it and it won't come back either. Stay aware and trust that were you are now is where you need to be.

I was only talking about pre-sex communications. Once you have sex with her, then you can text her more seriously.
You must distinguish between pre-sex and post-sex behaviors. They are very different.
Pre-sex, while you're dating, there must be some gaming going on. After she falls in love with you, you can cut the gaming.
You don't need to manipulate her too much via text. The key is not to display neediness and desperation. The biggest mistake made with pre-sex texting is that the guy fucks it up by trying to say too much, trying to be too edgy/cocky/funny. Trying to attract her via text doesn't work. So actually my advice is to not game girls via text. Use texting mostly to handle dating logistics laced with bits of humor.
Make your texts totally non-needy and unimportant. Don't be sending her long letters via text. Never try to logically convince her of meeting you. All that crap will blow you out very fast.
Here are good kinds of texts pre-sex:
Hey gurl, let's grab a coffee. Coffee! Lets go Saw this shirt at Walmart and thought it would be perfect for you [insert pic of ugly shirt] Meow... Moo Hey dork Let's hang out When you free this week? Let's do something this week How's the recovery going? (from last night's club/bar) You're the weirdest gurl I met last night. I want to build you a mansion out of Legos and stock it with exotic baby animals. Reading a book Chillin by the pool Making juice Clipping my toe nails, thought you should know Trimming my nose hair, thought you should know Going to club XXXXX tonight. You? You remind me of a dog I just saw You seem great and all but I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with you. I bet you snore like a pig. I want to stick a scorpion in your pants Hope this isn't too forward but I mailed you this basket of puppies [insert pic of basket of puppies] A few of them might arrive dead, I was too cheap to swing for overnight shipping That kind of stuff. Keep it lite and chill. Zero investment is key.
This is the extent of pre-sex texting.
NEVER, EVER get sexual via text unless you've already had sex with her a few times. It comes off way too creepy and needy. Act like you don't care about sex.

Relationships and connection are an avenue for growth that I only recently fully started to appreciate.  I recall my buddy talking about all the lessons he learned from each girlfriend he had as I sat there perplexed.  Now I get it.  Top heavy people like me tend to over-emphasize thought as the vehicle and conduit for growth.  But no, you have relationships, you have contribution (projects), you have health and fitness, you have art (creativity), you have action (right conduct), you have meditation (connection with being), you have travel (especially international cultural travel), and probably others that I'm missing.  
Avenues & Sources of Growth
Thought Relationships Contribution (Projects) Health & Fitness Art (Creativity) Action (Right Conduct) Meditation (Connection with Being) Travel (Esp. International Cultural Travel)

There are a few things this person brings to me just by watching her content and snapchats alone:

1. She once made me cry. I can't explain what she was doing but it was happiness. She was in the dark room twirling different lights into one (hard to explain)
2. I became motivated when she talked about going green and loving the self
3. Her energy alone pushes me to want to work. It was like Leo on steroids. 
4. I'd pay any penny to see her in real life.

I do not mean fall in love in the physical sense. I do not wish to bed her or snack on this person. It is a more spiritual connection where just watching her creates this natural high and love for existence. There is only one person that has done this-Leo.

The most interesting thing I have seen is the fact that she has  A LOT of Orange and Blue friends and yet she talks to them and befriends them like they too are perfect as they are. Even when they do not agree with her at all, she entertains it with understanding. 
 
Really helped me understand I have a LONG way to go.

@Space That is the million dollar question.
There is no easy answer. Becoming financially comfortable whilst starting from scratch is very challenging, requiring creative thinking, strategy, focus, discipline, hard work, vision, and a bit of luck.
In practice you will have to claw your way to the top using whatever means available.
One very helpful piece of advice is to keep your living expenses as low as humanly possible. At least for the first 5 years of your LP, until you get established.
Another possibility is to move to a very cheap part of the country, or even a 3rd world country as you develop your skills. Again, this is to keep your expenses as low as possible and buy yourself time to build skills.
Another possibility is first build some more marketable skills which can help you pay the rent. For example it's possible to learn some programming skills, which tend to be well-paid.
Another possibility is to work a relatively high-wage job for a year or two in order to save up a nest egg. There are some jobs which require zero experience and zero education but still pay well.
Another possibility is to get a lower job but within your chosen field/industry. For example if you want to direct movies, rather than trying to get hired as a director (which is virtually impossible), try to get hired as an assistant to the director. Then you can prove yourself to the director and he might be willing to hire you in the future as a producer. Etc. Finally then you will become a director.
Another possibility is to get a part-time job which allows you time to work on building your skills at home.
Etc.
You have to be very creative, opportunistic, and flexible when starting out.
I spent 4 years building an entirely unrelated business to earn enough money to finally follow my LP. It was a huge detour and not at all easy or pleasant. But it was worth it.

If you're asking that question, then you probably aren't, unless maybe you had a really dysfunctional childhood.
Generally speaking, spiritually gifted people will have one or more of the following:
Find it very easy to meditate or concentrate Are extremely interested in metaphysical and spiritual topics (more so than other topics) Are naturally very loving Really interested in Truth for its own sake Have paranormal abilities: they see auras, angels, and others weird stuff, they have telepathic abilities, etc. Exceptionally intuitive They have spontaneous kundalini activation/awakenings Are wise beyond their years, wiser than all their peers Not all of those need to be present. Just one or two of those is already great.

Basically any of the practices I've ever talked about.
Any kind of personal dev work or spiritual work.
Contemplation is huge.
And just master your life overall. Stop being a child.

But your shadow is that which you think you are not.
For example, if you think you are an honest person, your shadow is liars. What you must integrate are liars, by realizing you are them.

This is true of all evil human beings: just an innocent guy who got sucked down a devilish rabbit hole.
The devil is a fallen angel
The Alt-right rabbit hole goes something like this: Joe Rogan >> Sam Harris >> Dave Rubin >> Jordan Peterson >> Ben Shapiro >> Stefan Molyneux >> Alt-right
Whoever your mentors judge, you will learn to judge. Judgment is a virus. The ego's shadow is a virus.

Well, I told you guys very early on that I am going to change in big ways and that if you don't grow with me by doing the practices I will lose you in the dust.
You have only seen 1% of my full potential and even less of your own.

The point is, the theory is powerful and leads to high places. So get to work!

The paradox is that caring about other people can also become an obstacle. Women especially can develop an ego out of playing a "selfless" helper role.
So you gotta strike a delicate balance.
This whole process is a delicate balancing act. Too much to any one side results in pathology and getting stuck.

Honesty.
Wow.  It penetrates deep guys.  
Not just the big lies but the subtle lies we all tell.
Leo once told me that my awakening was a lifetime in the making...
Guess what - it was.
I spent a lifetime lying.  Lying about everything.  
It was pure ego..pure selfishness... that could be the fundamental fear of death...and i think that's the source of all anxiety and boredom as well...but that's another topic.
My point in this post is that when i became truly authentic..to myself..to my fiancee...to my very being...that's when enlightenment found me.
I was growing more conscious naturally without finding spirituality ever slowly before i found Leo...but he helped me put the final pieces in place...i meditated for 2 weeks completely sober and had a massive awakening..
One particular experience i was in my basement using the do nothing method and infinity just moved through me to the point where i screamed.
I had several more where i became conscious that reality was a giant mind and others.  But i wasn't able to go as deep as Leo because my ego stopped it cold.  I still had massive mystical experiences where an energy force just completely gripped me showed me complete Truth.  I can't even put into words but it's like everything aligned..BAM... and i was God.
My point is if you want to awaken you need to start losing the selfishness.  Start thinking about others not yourself and stop Lying.
You will find that honesty will be the true key to unlocking enlightenment.
It's way more nuanced than that but that is a huge start.
Some of the other keys are finding your feminine side and sensitivity.  I never cried.  For decades i held everything inside.
But just prior to awakening i started crying over things that i cared about.
So there is a lot that goes into this but if you guys are running around doing selfish things and lying you can meditate all you want and it won't happen.  I can just intuit that from my own experience.
I think that's why it takes decades for us..
Not because we aren't doing the work but because we aren't ready.
When you are ready AND you are doing the work it will find you.
And when it does it will just absolutely floor you..forever.  You will never be the same.
So guys do not give up hope but you may need to give up your old selfish ego.
 
 
 

I have taken a break from yoga and even meditation lately.
My spirituality is becoming more organic and natural to the point where I am surrendering my rigid practices.
Remember that the ultimate goal is for your entire life to become one seamless act of meditation, creativity, and love. You become God-like.
Of course I still have a lot of work left. This is just a phase I'm going through, trying new stuff to see what works best.
Yes, my mind is gradually becoming more and more quiet, making it easier to be in a semi-meditative state all the time, or at least especially when sitting down.

@Charlotte I’m not ‘business development’ minded either. At least, rather, I wasn’t. So I’d sit with a pen & paper and meditate. Relax, let it all go. Forget the idea / thing you want. Make a space for that goodness within to be fully present. That is who / where everything you’ve ever seen, and any thing that anyone has ever created has come from, and it’s right ‘inside you’, patient, willing, and wanting the absolute best for you. I say that confidently because you are obviously sweet, humble, and authentically collective minded. 
As a step or component arises,  just write it down, and return to meditation. Don’t get involved in it. Look at it like you’re just taking diction from someone else and have no interest in the content. Repeat. It is amazing how crazy true it is that you can not receive a ‘next step’ with the same consciousness of the initial idea. Completely let it go, and an answer / step will arise in the empty space.  
Then use a wall dedicated to it. Chalk paint is awesome for this. Just write what’s on the pad of paper, on the wall. From seeing the wall each day, the mind connects the dots, and familiarizes (aka manifesting) and when you do the pen & paper / meditation, the very next components needed will arise.  Know that whomever is needed will magically pop onto your scene. Be very open minded, try to hold no assumptions about who or how anyone needed to continue this pursuit will show up. They just will. 
This is consciousness / creating, it is not the physical situation it appears to be. You can go that route, but it’s efforting. It truly is all you, and this ‘infinite you’ - does love you, and does want everything for you. Your role is limiter, and receiver, in this sense / or practice..
This also lends to mindfulness, and less thinking / anxiety / etc...as you are training yourself to only do one step at a time, and to completely Trust the source of you, and to enjoy it. One step, one moment, one day at a time. And that is enough. 
The wall will become the business plan. But it will feel nothing like a researched concocted business plan. Of course, you will need to research some things, but that will be secondary to what arose in meditation / the emptiness...and therefore you will experience a joyful adventure, a dream life...or a life dream, whichever sounds better to you.  
 

Not only highly addictive, but diminishes clarity, causes inflammation in the body, and fuels overthinking.  Not to mention puts on weight. Sugar has the ability to mess a person up on so many fronts, that one would struggle to realize it is the sugar. Thinking misses this and projects all over the place. Or, one projects onto oneself, internalizes, not knowing the “short comings” are not really short comings of the person at all, but just what it’s like to be a person addicted to sugar. Quitting sugar was possibly the biggest game changer in my life. 

Meditation and enlightment are HUGH things. I am doing meditation for 2.5 years so far and it one of the most important things i have in life. and i know i have long way to go and I know that I am still very far from the level of enlightened people.
But, we also have brain which is planned to survive. and this brain includes within all its experience from millions of years.
And no matter how enlightened you will be - if you dont have connections and relationships with people, you will feel emotional pain, which its goal is to push you back to your tribe in order to not get eaten by a tiger...
so even if people are surrounding you, but you are overthinking and you live too much in your head - your sub-consiouse brain will suspect you are alone, and it will turn itself into "alone" mode, and pour cortizol into your bloodstream.
You can say "but meditation can change the brain".
yes, but you cannot change the core-stracture of it - the essence of its stracture that is planned to keep you alive.
In other words - you CAN be enlightened and you can also know that you are NOT your brain.
true...
but you still HAVE brain, and if it doesnt get its needs - it will hurt you.
Excactly in the same way that you can be enlightened and still have strong abdominal pain.
its not different.
I started to realized lately that everytime i have strong interesting in something (even very positive issue) and im SO into that issue and it lasts several days (and i'm live in my head almost completely) - after few days i get much more anxious about topics that are completely different from the issue i was doing in that week. its just happeing because the reason above. the topic of the anxiety is just an excuse for the brain to show you that you are anxious.
so it made me think that no matter how much insights i will have and how much meditation i'll practice - I allways have to feel connected to people in order to feel good.

Green has several limiting features which are important to transcend:
Mob mentality Over-emphasis of connection, feelings, and relationship to the exclusion of facts, higher realities, and results New Agey, air-fairy thinking; overly upotian and naive rather than realistic, grounded, pragmatic. Green arrogance (thinking that Green is the most evolved stage) Excessive relativism, to the point of denying the importance of hierarchies and higher values A naive sort of love and sense of justice/fairness which doesn't fully appreciate the complexity of government, life, war, politics, relationships, business, etc. Demonization of stage Orange Lots of judgment still Under-appreciation of the dangers of stage Red Shallow, flaky forms of spirituality Lack of awareness of and appreciation of the necessity of the entire Spiral Stage Yellow people have MORE capacity for love, not less. Their love is more grounded and realistic than the overly-idealistic love of Green.

Perhaps you've internalized impossible standards for yourself, and you feel like you're unworthy of love if you don't match up to those standards. Perhaps you put women (especially very attractive women) up on a pedestal and have an understanding that they are the arbiters of your personal worth. 
Now, I know that this probably won't get through that barrier of fears, but just know that there will be women out there that really appreciate you in a genuine way, and they'll like you for you. 
When women like a guy genuinely and intuitively, it is not based upon him meeting certain standards but is a cupid's arrow that comes up from the subconscious. It'll just surface. And this doesn't really function through that "hypergamy" idea that so many internet "dating experts" (cough cough) tell men about. It comes from a different and non-intellectual and non-strategic place.
So, women who are your match and your mirror will be likely to have that spark with you and will enjoy your presence in a nearly magical way. 
You really just have to put yourself out there, and meet real women. And most importantly, allow yourself simply to be who you are. And you will attract women if you're not too nervous around them and making them feel pressure to handle you with kid-gloves. 
Also, work on integrating your Anima and this will take the crippling need for a woman and bring it down to the level of a curious desire. 
 

That's always a tough question for a woman of our generation. I am getting close to mid 30's, and I also have the same dilemma. I have bunch of other girlfriends my age who don't have children either. My sister who is 3 years older than me had her first child this December. The first time I locked eyes with my niece, I understood the love of a child for the first time. It's beyond any other love, and highly addictive. Also, you fear for their life and safety. The sacrifice is great, but the love is even greater. 
I can tell you this. No one can answer this question for you. Only you can. Everybody have their own opinion, but as you get older, and as you find the right partner (or not) you will know if you want to have children. Either way, you will be fine. <3