This Is Anxiety’s Antidote.
What is the antidote to anxiety?
Stocism.
Many people mistake stoicism for apathy or indifference.
But they’re wrong.
Stoicism is the awareness of what you can control versus what you can’t.
It’s the knowledge of what’s worth worrying about and what isn’t.
The majority of anxiety you experience stems from the fear of uncertainty and a “lack of control” over a particular outcome.
The main principle behind stoicism is that if you can take matters into your own hands, you should do it. If you can’t, then either way, it’s not worth worrying about since you can’t control the outcome.
For instance, if you’re constantly worrying about contracting a disease like cancer, then do what you can to reduce your risk as much as possible. If you don’t take action, your risk will increase, and the anxiety will fester. If you dedicate yourself to a healthy lifestyle and regular checkups, the anxiety you experience will drastically decrease because you’re taking control of your future and doing everything you can to prevent your feared outcome. There’s no room for “what-ifs”. If you do nothing, your chances of contracting a disease will only become greater.
If you’re scared of something, do whatever you can to prevent it from happening. You can’t control what’s going to happen, but you can control how prepared you are for it.
Book recommendations to learn more about Stoicism:
Meditations - Marcus Aurelius
Discourses - Epictetus
Letters on Ethics - Seneca