When we feel anxious, stuck, or overwhelmed, our first instinct is often to push harder. We try to make a feeling disappear, force ourselves to be calm, or find the perfect answer before taking a step. Sometimes that effort helps. Other times, the struggle with the experience becomes another source of pain. Taoism (also spelled Daoism) offers a different question: What happens if I stop fighting the fact that this is happening and respond to what is actually here? This is not