Why we need to philosophize more and worry less?

In times like this being anxious seems inevitable. It is as if like glue we are trying to get rid of. The main player concerned in this virtually inevitable turbulence is deepest part of our brain, which is also called “Reptilian Brain”. This piece of brain evolved in a way that it always keep us alert against any kind of physical danger. We may naively assume that it is only concerned with our physical survival, which is external. But, in reality, it is as much interested in our mental survival as it is with our physical survival. That’s why when our mental survival is in danger we automatically switch into anxious mode. It may seem quite unreasonable and irritating at first. We are not willing to embrace its existence. Most of the times we make war with it. But if we are to look from bigger and deeper scope, we may recognize them as our lifelong supporter. If it had a tongue to say something, it would probably say something like this: “Dear boss, I am sorry to interrupt, but I feel i need to visit you. I hope you don’t mind. To be straightforward, I detected a large dose of negative thoughts in your mind. Because of that, I think you will be better if you spend some sleepless nights. I can emphasize that I may come without any preparation. But, it is necessary for you to be awake and alert. If you listen to my words you will have invaluable insights in your way to greatness. Take your time and conquer the obstacles you face. Your dearest friend, Anxiety.”

In reality, this piece of brain is not here to cause any harm. We may even perceive it in a variety of levels, suitable for our objective. To complicate the picture, the anxious feelings are not really as plain and easy as we presume. They are much more complex and intricate to understand. At the same time, anxiety may not necessarily be a negative. It is not as if we instinctively run from it. We may try to stand in its way. Here are few things we need to know about anxiety:

1. Anxiety is a natural feeling that potentially makes us better and stronger. But why we say “potentially”?

Because, anxiety needs to be handled in the right way. It is even more true to say that we are the ones who handle it in the right way. The right way may be different and may vary from one person to another.

2. Anxiety could come and go. We are not meant to live with it. It is always a matter of time.

3. Anxiety declines when we feel confident and secure. When we feel confident, our subconscious mind doesn’t need to be in panic mode. It becomes easier for us to think more logically. And then we can think about something that seems scary.

4. Anxiety is nothing without us. It is like a hungry lion. It needs prey to make it motivated. It is like saying that it is taking advantage of our innate nature. It doesn’t need any other motivation. It doesn’t need to watch a movie or listen to some music. It doesn’t even need to be noble. It is natural to feel that we need to escape from it.

5. We may disregard them as potential enemies. But, they are our potential allies. There is no other way they could show us our strong, confident, brave and noble way of life. They try to push us towards our inner self.

6. Anxiety shouldn’t go. We should notice their motives instead. We would realize that they are actually our best friends. And when we manage to let them know what we think, they become close to us and really very supportive.

7. Anxiety stops when we feel confident and secure. And when we do that, it stops being anxiety and becomes wisdom. The wisdom is extremely relevant to every challenge we may face.

8. When we use the word “anxiety” to describe our emotions, it is clearly showing that our self-confidence is not at the right level. It is always a healthy thing to check our self-confidence level, especially if it is declining. Actually, we should inspect our self-confidence level very closely. It is not like any other routine thing we are used to.

Sometime, the amount of anxiety in our mind is directly proportional to our self-confidence. Actually, the idea is very simple: When you feel very sure about what you do, the level of anxiety is almost negligible. And when you feel very unsure of what you think, it immediately makes you anxious.