I read a newsletter from John Green where he mentions how he is using anxiety as a reminder for gratitude.
As with so much, it’s not a new insight, but it is a simple and valuable insight that can transform our lives if we put it into practice.
USING ANXIETY AS A REMINDER FOR GRATITUDE
If I give myself anxiety, it’s usually because I am afraid of losing something I have, so I can use the anxiety as a reminder to find gratitude for what’s here now.
It will be gone sooner or later anyway, and it’s here now, so why not enjoy it and find appreciation and gratitude for it now?
This is aligned with reality and it’s a way to remind myself of the bigger picture.
A FEW EXAMPLES
Here are some examples from my own life:
I notice I have anxiety for my future health. Maybe it will get worse, maybe I won’t be able to do what I tell myself I need to do. That means my health now is OK. It may not be as good as a part of me wishes it to be, but it’s OK and more than good enough to enjoy life. That’s a gift that many don’t have. I am alive today, and I have good enough health to appreciate and enjoy it. That’s a miracle. When I see that, I notice I feel genuinely and immensely grateful for it.
I have anxiety about the future of this area of the Andes. What will happen with the new development projects in the neighborhood? Will it mean a lot more traffic? More noise? More destruction of nature? (And maybe more regeneration projects?) This anxiety means there is a lot I love about it as it is now. I love the relative peace and quiet here, most of the time. I love that the neighborhood is overwhelmingly green. (Although a lot is pasture land with just a few trees.) I love the view of the canyon with just one small town on the other side. I love the dark skies and all the stars. It won’t last, at least not for me, and I notice a deep appreciation and gratitude for it.
I have anxiety about money in the future. I have a disability so I am unable to work. (My health is unpredictable so I can’t work with a schedule or deadline or produce something on command.) Right now, it’s OK for a variety of reasons, but how will it be in the future? That anxiety is a reminder that right now, I am OK. I have just about what I need. I have shelter, food, and so on, and I am able to travel when I have to. It’s easy for me to find deep gratitude for that. None of it is a given.
I have anxiety about the future of the world. We are in global ecological overshoot and collectively show no signs of slowing down, realizing the situation we are in, and what’s necessary for turning it around. We are heading straight into massive unraveling of ecosystems. Since we are nature, what happens to nature happens to us. Mixed in with anxiety is a range of other emotions and reactions – grief, hopelessness, anger, sadness.
The world as I know it will end sooner or later. Humanity will end sooner or later. This living planet will die at some point. Eventually, everything I know will be gone. That’s OK. That’s part of life. That’s how this world is set up. Without change nothing would be here at all. Death is what allows new life and something else to be here.
I have anxiety about the future of the world because I love it so much. I love this amazing nature. I love all the life this planet has made itself into. I love these living systems. I love art, music, literature. I love the insights of many humans. I love the natural love and kindness of humans.
So why not find an even deeper appreciation for it, knowing it will all eventually be gone? Why miss out of my natural appreciation and gratitude for life?
OTHER WAYS TO EXPLORE ANXIETY
There are, of course many other ways to explore anxiety. I like to use a combination.
Sometimes, I can do something about the situation that I use to create anxiety in myself. I can take kind and constructive action.
I pay attention to my diet and how different foods affect me. Whole and simple foods seem to work very well for me. I do better without much grains. Sugar and refined foods gives an initial boost, followed by several hours where I feel off, often with a combination of anxiety, depression, and feeling drained.
Drinking a good amount of water – with lemon, herbal infusions, as kombucha etc. – helps me a lot. My system feels more balanced and resilient.
I use the natural stress release process in the body, through spontaneous shaking, trembling, stretching, sounds, and so on. (Tension and Trauma Release Exercises / TRE.)
I identify and examine stressful thoughts to find what’s more true for me, and I look for underlying and more essential stressful thoughts. (The Work of Byron Katie.)
I notice that my thoughts are exactly that, thoughts. They are imaginations – about the past, future, and present. They are not reality. They can help this human self orient and function in the world, and that’s about it. If I have stressful images about the future, those are imaginations, they are guesses, they are not the actual future.
If I notice I feel off and exhausted, I intentionally avoid thoughts about the future and the past and anything I don’t need to take care of immediately. I put it off until my system is a little more balanced, usually after drinking water, eating something, and taking a nap or sleeping. Usually, this is the morning after.
I do tonglen, the Tibetan Buddhist practice of “giving and taking”. I visualize someone in front of me, imagine their suffering as black smoke, breathe it in on the in-breath, breathe out light that fills them, and repeat for a while until I notice a good shift. I do this with anyone I notice a strained relationship or I actively dislike, or someone I like, myself (especially in situations where I suffer), or groups, non-human beings, ecosystems, the Earth as a whole, and so on. I often start with one person and then expand to include me, larger groups, and end with the Earth as a whole. This helps me shift into a grounded kindness.
The image was created by me and Midjourney.