How To Deal With Anxiety (part 2)

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

This article is a continuation of the first part on how to deal with anxiety.

We continue to explore the basic concepts associated with intense excitement. At first glance, it may seem that these concepts are inseparable with anxiety, as if nothing can be done with them, so it is better to simply avoid reasoning so that unpleasant experiences do not intensify. However, upon closer examination, it becomes clear that in addition to the "given" of our life, there is also free will, something that we can influence. When we dare to look anxiety in the eye, to understand its causes, then anxiety can be changed, transformed.

4. Lack of meaning

In existential psychology, the question of the meaning of life has been raised more than once. The answer to this question is more obvious than it might seem at first glance. We can trust our feelings. Anyone has ever experienced the feeling that life has no meaning. Unfortunately, such feelings are such a strong source of anxiety that they can lead to irreversible consequences.

But what if life has no objective meaning? Consider the creation of meaning in the context of a specific person's life. Yes, we ourselves are responsible for giving meaning to our lives. What should be the meaning so that we do not lose it every time?

1. It is important that our activities, hobbies, work - in a word, the ways of self-realization are connected with each other by the same meaning. That is, they reflected the basic ideals and values of a person. If achievements do not have a deeper meaning than the very result of actions, the person will be content with one-time pleasure, which will quickly pass, again leaving the person without meaning.
2. The duration of the meaning also matters. Everything that has an end result will make sense exactly until the moment when the result is achieved. Therefore, if a person sees meaning only in work, the loss of a job for any reason, be it retirement, relocation, layoffs, etc., will overwhelm the person not only with the need to adapt to changes, but also to cope with severe anxiety due to loss of meaning. Therefore, it is important to see meaning in activities that do not have a time limit. For example, the point is to gain or share new knowledge.

5. Death

Death is the only definite and inevitable thing in our life. However, there are aspects that are highly troubling. This is the unpredictability of death, as well as the uncertainty of the very experience of death. We do not know exactly how this will happen and when. Other aspects, such as the loss (of a loved one, of your life) and any accompanying symptoms (pain, helplessness, etc.) cause fear, but not anxiety.

Perhaps you have heard the expression "the expectation of death is worse than death itself"?

What to do about it? Concentrate on the present moment. And this does not mean that you need to run away from the past or the future. The past has already ended, the future has not yet begun, it exists only here-and-now. Since I exist now, now I cannot die. At the moment I am aware that I am living, which means that I can avoid worries about death. Yes, death is inevitable and can happen at any next moment, but right now, at this moment, there is no death. And it works the same with any worries about the future, from the definite to the very abstract ("I'm worried that something bad is going to happen").

6. Freedom of choice

All people want freedom to one degree or another. Freedom is often called the ability to follow your desire, to express yourself, to do what you want. Why, then, is such a desired state of freedom alarming?

Freedom always implies a certain amount of uncertainty, and therefore uncertainty.

Interesting paradox, isn't it? Our freedom of choice limits us. When we say "yes" to one possibility, it means "no" to all other possibilities.

Thoughts about the absence of any guarantees of the "correctness" of the choice made, as well as the objective absence of the only correct decision, the inevitable responsibility for uncontrollable consequences - all this can cause very strong anxiety, which will soon entail a lack of desire and strength to decide anything at all …

Anxiety can be dealt with by not focusing on the outcome. The result of our actions and activities can depend on many circumstances, while the process of achieving something depends on our own efforts, which means that concentration on the process not only brings pleasure, but also enhances the feeling of self-confidence.