anxiety
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Into the sinkhole
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1 min read
The river of worries, always tangled up in the present. There are none more inundating than the pervasive daggers, unwanted and given the majority position. The inertia gives them space, a collection of content trash driven into a introspective sinkhole. Let them in, they said. To what end? Go ahead — invite them over. But…
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Tackling the brain’s anxiety bias
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1 min read
We take out the wind of anxiety by going toward the fear. The nerves left alone in anticipation, attrit our resistance with cruel swiftness. Uncertainty pervades all those who wish to consult it and acquiesce. The only way forward is to adopt the most extreme outcome and hyperbolize it. That’s right — export the scariest…
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Becoming pain tolerant
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1 min read
Surrender to the pain and see the growth. Capitulation converts supposed weakness into emotional endurance over time, providing an antidote to the stress caused by the resistance. Ruing the past, fighting the future — worrying is as aimless as punching the air. The courage of moving on is a form of alchemy, a fancy way…
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Stress test
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1 min read
Stress is the great equalizer and our biggest distractor. It is worse than a sting from the ludic loop, mere fodder for over-thinking. But we can dampen its attentive nature. We can do things to get unstuck from the chaos of the monkey mind. The quickest mood modulator could be a psychedelic to reset the…
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The anxiety monster
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1 min read
Thinking is dangerous. But so is anything done in excess. In rumination, we trip over ourselves. To get the mind out of the way — escape the head — we learn to curb the unshakable dizziness of freedom. Exaggerate or accept all the thoughts. The result is a mass relaxation of efforts that dents the…
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Don’t adopt other people’s anxiety
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1 min read
We rely on other people’s testimony. It’s no wonder, therefore, that their anxiety becomes ours. We then cognize every piece of information to fit our nervy narrative. Worries spread like viruses. And they provoke an unwarranted shock into mass health scares, money problems, and job pressures. Humans are a strange and contradictory animal who can…
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Running to safety
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1 min read
Acceptance precedes change, the self-help books proclaim. One can’t advance unless they agree with their current state. Similarly, uncertainty boils with anticipation. The only way to calm the nerves is to take action that scratches the itch. Doing instead of wondering is a litmus test for hope. Both acceptance and initiative can make us feel…
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De-essentalizing the response
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1 min read
We’re never safe from the torch of fear and anxiety. The only thing we can control is our reaction to the current circumstances. Wrote the poet John Milton in the seventeenth century: “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.” When we reach the…
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Making peace with fear
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1 min read
We can make peace with the anxiety of anticipation. But it’s the hope that kills. What we need to gauge the nerves is mental preparation. One way of accomplishing this is through fear-setting, which requires that we envision the worst outcome. By going toward the fear, we undermine its strength and power our resolve. The…
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Anxious/Hopeful
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1 min read
Anxious, hopeful or both? A new installation wants to know
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The epidemic of worry
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1 min read
[bha size=’120×120′ variation=’01’ align=’alignright’] “He doesn’t give out energy for the benefit of others. He absorbs energy at others’ cost.” – Francis O’Gorman, Worrying: A Literary and Cultural History In other words, the worrier is the opposite of a lighthouse.
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It is human nature to ponder anxieties that do not exist. The mind is a fabrication machine, developing worries before they deserve any attention. Wrote Carlos Castaneda in Journey to Ixtlan (Amazon):“To worry is to become accessible… And once you worry, you cling to anything out of desperation; and once you cling you are bound to…