How To Stop Worrying - MicahBuzan.com

Instead of trying to get rid of anxiety, I’ve found that it’s best to simply recognize that it’s there with a calm, non-reactive attitude.

Worry is something we all live with. People who look like they don’t worry are only pretending. We all come into this life screaming, and only learn to conceal our emotions as we age. Worry is an intrinsic part of our complex emotional palette. Maybe worry can tell us what we should be doing, even if that thing we should be doing would cause more worry?

I used to have some social anxiety, so I would try to avoid large groups. However, the more I’ve simply talked to people, the more I realize everyone is just as weird as me (well, almost). There’s no reason to worry about what people think of you, because they’re too preoccupied worrying about themselves. People don’t have enough mental bandwidth to judge you the way you may be worried they will. And if they do, well, they’ll all be dead in a few decades – along with their judgements. We’re all struggling in this life experiment together.

I still experience anxiety from time-to-time, but now instead of viewing it as this negative thing or a sign of weakness, I just take note of it and observe the feelings as a passive spectator. It’s on ongoing learning process. It’s very liberating and empowering to accept the company of anxiety like I would a friend.

If you have any tips for how you deal with anxiety and worry, please feel free to share in the comments below!