{"id":8883,"date":"2026-05-30T08:50:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T08:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/?p=8883"},"modified":"2026-05-30T08:51:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T08:51:02","slug":"how-embracing-the-empty-boat-theory-can-help-you-keep-anger-and-anxiety-in-check","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/?p=8883","title":{"rendered":"How embracing the \u2018Empty Boat Theory\u2019 can help you keep anger and anxiety in check"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We all have moments where it feels like the world is against us. When we assume people are thinking negatively about us, we act accordingly by becoming angry or anxious. Once that mindset latches on, it can be tough to let go. But one simple Taoist parable-turned-viral-TikTok-hack offers a gentle yet powerful reminder that we\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all have moments where it feels like the world is against us. When we assume people are thinking negatively<\/a> about us, we act accordingly by becoming angry<\/a> or anxious<\/u><\/a>. Once that mindset <\/u><\/a>latches on, it can be tough to let go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But one simple Taoist parable-turned-viral-TikTok-hack offers a gentle yet powerful reminder that we are not the main character in everyone\u2019s story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the \u201cEmpty Boat Theory<\/a>\u201d?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Think of it as a thought experiment. Imagine yourself on a boat in the middle of a lake, as another boat drifts towards you, threatening to knock right into you. The closer this incoming vessel gets, the angrier you become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, at the last second, you steer your boat out from the path of collision, only to notice that the other boat is empty. What this really puts into perspective, as TikToker @sean.of.the.living<\/a> put it, is \u201cThere was never anybody to be angry with in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s life, isn\u2019t it?\u201d he said. \u201cWe assume everything\u2019s about us. \u2018They\u2019re just doing that to screw me, to piss me off.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost of the time, nobody\u2019s thinking about you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Empty Boat Parable<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

However, long before it was a viral brain hack on TikTok, this story taught how much self-inflicted suffering comes simply from the stories we tell ourselves about other people\u2019s attitudes towards us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the parable goes, a young monk (or simply a young man, depending on which version you read) hops onto a boat in hopes of finding a quiet spot to meditate. Suddenly, he is bumped by another boat. Furious, the monk opens his eyes and lashes out at the person responsible for disrupting his flow. There is, however, no one to blame. The boat is empty. Knowing there\u2019s now no one to be mad at, truly, the man\u2019s anger instantly dissipates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The core message is that sometimes a bump is just a bump. We need not assume malicious intent, and would be better equipped to handle life\u2019s collision with grace if we didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Spotlight Effect<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Bringing it into therapy-speak, the Empty Boat Theory\/Parable also relates to the spotlight effect, which is the tendency to wrongly believe that others are mentally scrutinizing us when, in fact, they are likely not thinking about us at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This bias is a symptom of egocentrism<\/u><\/a>. You don\u2019t have to be a full-blown narcissist to be egocentric. We all, from time to time, consider ourselves to be the center of the universe in some way. It\u2019s part of being an individual! But without mindfulness, we can let our egos overestimate how many eyes are actually on us at any given time, which only leads to a lot of unnecessary anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you wanna call it a brain hack, ancient wisdom, or a psychological principle, we could all benefit from reminding ourselves to really pick our battles. Easier said than done in today\u2019s world, but vital nonetheless. Here\u2019s to hoping that being aware of all the empty boats out there will lead to smoother sailing for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you\u2019re wondering just who\u2019s to blame for letting that rogue boat out to wreak havoc on the water\u2026? Well, that\u2019s a different conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We all have moments where it feels like the world is against us. When we assume people are thinking negatively about us, we act accordingly<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8884,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/710745883_1470655045095482_1777990646880768871_n.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8883"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8885,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8883\/revisions\/8885"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}