“If it’s not going to matter in five years, don’t spend more than five minutes worrying about it.” A rather extreme viewpoint and probably not one that should be followed to the letter, but it does provoke the questions: How long will this really matter? How all-important is it, really? All of which are good questions to periodically ask yourself when you’re dealing with anxiety. It’s good to check yourself, when you can. And if it’s not all that important but you’re still anxious about it, it doesn’t invalidate that. But it’s still good to keep in mind.
For me, those questions evoke a wonderful feeling of smallness. I am reminded that I am but one spark on a minuscule orb spinning finitely in the tide of the infinite cosmos. And by the time I get to the end of that thought, no matter how insurmountable my problems seemed a minute ago, the source of my anxiety no longer seems so immense. Sometimes, feeling small is the best thing for you.
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” -Gautama Buddha. Essentially, anxiety is negative energy pulling you away from the present moment either to obsess over a mistake in the past or to fixate on a potential problem in the future. Neither is a productive use of time or energy, and begets nothing positive. The only way to find peace and happiness is to exist in the present moment and to firmly say no to detours like anxiety.
This one is especially hard to live by, but honestly when you do you reap more rewards than any other guideline. It’s a mantra I stick close to in times of stress. There is never anything but the present moment, sandwiched between two things we can never experience— the past and the future. Understanding that can save a life. For me, this actually ties in very closely with another mantra which I use to combat anxiety: “I cannot change the past, all I can do is to try to be and do better now.” The Buddha also taught that in living, we make our own lives, by means of Kammic energy, the force behind Karma. Each action forms Kammic energy, which brings back to you a consequence, and if there is un-exhausted Kammic energy left over upon the death of the body, it follows the consciousness into the next life. Thuse, in living, we make our own lives. While much is out of our control, our actions are not. This is also profoundly beneficial to remember.
“A further sign of health is that we don’t become undone by fear and trembling, but we take it as a message that it’s time to stop struggling and look directly at what’s threatening us.” -Pema Chodron. Sometimes, our fears and anxieties are the voice for the part of us that knows we have something we need to address. It will be difficult when you first begin, but try not to shy away from your anxiety, or simply attempt to ignore it. It is a process, and it requires time, patience, and practice, but even the process itself of taking time before you react can be incredibly beneficial.
Start by acknowledging the presence of the anxiety. Ask yourself what it is that your mind is responding to with anxiety. Keep breathing, take your time, and be thorough; question the root of the anxiety. Once you have a better understanding of it, you can ask yourself what you can do about the situation, if anything, and then you can practice releasing it, and letting it go. Remember that not only is life temporary, but so are the circumstances that we respond to with anxiety, worry, and stress. Another thing to practice that can make training your mind to release anxiety easier is writing out your thoughts on each question. For me, personally, it makes it a little easier and more useful in the long-term as well as the immediate experience of anxiety.
“When thinking about life, remember this: No amount of guilt can solve the past, and no amount of anxiety can change the future.” —Gautama Buddha. Not only is the present the only moment that is, but it is also the only aspect of time that we can affect. After all, by the time the future comes, it has become the present. It’s easy to imagine how anxieties would have, long ago, been a tool of survival; a way of considering every possible outcome before entering into a potentially dangerous situation. Anxiety now, however, is more of a hindrance than anything else. It can become a prison, locking in our actions out of fear and uncertainty that has run rampant.
The way I interpret this is as a reminder not to obsess over what has been or what has not yet come to pass. Guilt and anxiety serve no purpose unless we listen to them, learn what we can, then gently but firmly set them aside. Learning from your mistakes is useful; raking yourself over the coals over something you regret but can’t change now is not. Being aware of the potential consequences of your actions is useful; letting your anxieties or desires rule your life is not.
The last note I’ll add about anxiety (for the moment) is this: The only real solution to anxiety is to face fear with its much more powerful counterpart: Trust.