Anxiety is a very common problem. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders worldwide, affecting around 264 million people globally. In the United States, it is estimated that around 20% of adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. Anxiety can manifest in a variety of ways and can range from mild to severe. It can also be accompanied by other mental health conditions, such as depression.
It can be difficult to completely eliminate anxiety, but it is possible to reduce its intensity and manage it effectively. One important starting point is to reframe your perspective on anxiety. Start by reading the quote below from the philosopher Epictetus from his writing Discourses:
“When I see an anxious person, I ask myself, what do they want? For if a person wasn’t wanting something outside of their own control, why would they be stricken by anxiety?” -Epictetus
Many times our anxiety is a direct result of our wanting something outside of our control. I think we’ve all driven to a meeting and encountered traffic that threatened to make us late. It can create a nervous worry that we’ll miss something, get in trouble, or fired. We end up checking the ETA and wanting it to be on time. We begin hypothesizing about what will happen and hoping they’ll be little negative…
