On Worrying

To be anxious or not to be anxious... When we consider these two concepts, they seem very simple to us. The person before us is either at ease or uneasy and more contemplative. In fact, this attitude of the person before us reveals many details about their approach to life. For instance, I can begin with an example from my own experience. Because I have faced death so often in my life, whenever someone close to me encounters difficulty or even has a minor problem with me, I feel as if I am about to lose them and as if my life could not continue without them.

At first, the difficult part of this dynamic is not apparent. As for the other side—the more relaxed individuals—I also want to give an example from my own life. When I face a difficult situation, I fear that the person opposite me might completely disappear from my life, but this time the situation reverses: instead of things getting worse, they improve. This happens because even if I imagine the worst possible outcome in any situation, I know deep down that life will go on; so even though I am afraid, I respond more calmly.

But the unnoticed truth is this: a person who is constantly on alert and who interprets even simple matters negatively. Even if such a person never actually encounters these sad outcomes, they think about the possibility so intensely that they might react in exactly the same way if it were to happen. So how can such a person free themselves from this anxiety and find peace, even when the feared situation is unlikely to occur? This is a different matter entirely, and I leave it to your consideration.