Anxiety is a consequence of cognitive bias, which can be termed as ...

THE NEED TO ACT

Anxiety is a consequence of the desire to change the situation. We want to make a difference because the current state of affairs seems threatening to us.

For example, we go to work at risk of being fired. Perhaps there is no risk. But there is a fear of dismissal. The very idea of the likelihood of being fired is perceived as a threat, and we want to change something so as not to be left without a livelihood.

But time passes, we quit, find another job and understand that there was nothing to be afraid of. Our fear was not justified. The threat was illusory. But why does our brain create it? To make us act. Anxiety is a whip that hangs over our heads all our lives, and from which we have been running unsuccessfully all our lives. And we know there is nowhere to run. So what's stopping us from stopping? And why does a simple understanding of the illusory nature of anxious feelings not allow us to get rid of them?

OLD CONSCIOUSNESS

We are all in approximately the same state of consciousness, a state determined by the collective unconscious, which in quality does not differ much from the collective unconscious of the primitive herd. Therefore, we, in essence, are consumers. The consumer must be anxious to consume. Consumption is his motive. If there is no motive, there will be no action. A cat will not hunt if it does not have a motive - pleasure from the hunting process. The brain rewards the cat for her actions. She follows this reward over and over again, regardless of whether she is full or not.

We, too, act regardless of the degree of our satiety. The brain will always find a way to deceive us in order to force us to act. But we are not cats. We have consciousness, and therefore awareness. We do not need anxiety as much as other mammals need it. The anxiety we inherited from reptiles today complicates our life and leads to unnecessary energy consumption. Therefore, we are looking for ways to get rid of anxiety.

Consciousness, free from the shackles of anxiety, is able to act many times more effectively. Therefore, getting rid of anxiety is a way to optimize the work of consciousness.

NEW CONSCIOUSNESS

To get out of the vicious circle of total dissatisfaction, you need to stop playing by the rules of the old consciousness. It is important to understand that no matter how much the frog walks in a jug of milk, it cannot beat the butter. Anyway, the point of the game is not to whip up something, but to make this frog learn something. Has changed. Because she is part of the evolutionary process.

Therefore, it does not matter at all who we are and what we do. The important thing is how much we can be free from the carrot hanging in front of our nose. How much we can be free from the anxiety generated by our brain. For we are part of the evolutionary process, and the evolutionary task is to optimize mental activity, and not to build a house, pay on a loan, or change the place of work of a single individual.

As long as our small problems remain meaningful to us, the mind of an ordinary person will generate anxiety. Once they lose their power over us, we can feel free and act freely. Without fear and beyond the scope of past experience.

WHAT'S THE HARDEST PART?

The hardest part is not to do something. The hardest part is to stop and do nothing. Try it - and feel for yourself how a wave of anxiety will drive you to run in a squirrel wheel, to a run in which each step is similar to the previous one, a run in which all moments of being merge into one gray line.

When a person says that he likes to do nothing, it means that he likes to engage in consumption. As a rule, informational: playing computer games, watching TV series, chatting on the phone, reading the tabloids ... But this is not inaction. This is a flight from reality, generated by a sense of anxiety.

“To stop and do nothing” means to do nothing, that is, to relax and stop the action of the “run or fight” reaction. Stop making silly attempts to change the reality around you. Wise people realized this a long time ago and called this practice meditation.

Author's Bio: 

My name is Rudiyr. I was born and live in Russia. I am engaged in giving advice to people on mental health, self-improvement and harmonious development. I am also the author of the course "Philosophy of Practical Natural Science". In it, I consider issues of health, positive energy balance of a person, energy sources for a person (sleep, nutrition, physical activity, creativity) and other aspects that allow a person to live happily.