As far as I can tell the human species is unique in being able ruminate on fears that are not a clear and present danger. Most of what creates anxiety is situated in the future and is not an imminent threat.
Compare this to our mammalian relatives. If you have a dog, does it anticipate problems? It doesn’t seem like it to me.
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My dog certainly gets fearful but that arises from a sudden movement in the bushes or an odd shaped object blowing in the wind. I don’t think he fears what might happen tomorrow or the threat of scarcity in the future.
Humans’ ability to anticipate and imagine possible futures is both a blessing and a curse. Anticipation allows us to prepare for challenges but it also detracts from our enjoyment in the present. Anticipation brings fear and anxiety about things that have not come to be and might never come to be. I suppose a healthy way to deal with this would be to:
Assess the actual risk
Determine if there is a way to mitigate it
Take action to do so
Let it go
This seems reasonable to me. It is often said that 99% of our worries are things we can do nothing about. This implies that worrying is unproductive in most cases as well as detrimental to our present enjoyment of life. The 1% we have some agency over is where our deliberation and action would be better served. Basically, if you can do something about it, stop mulling it over and do something. If you cannot, flush it from your concerns. Perhaps this is easier said than done. Nonetheless, being riddled with fear and anxiety is far from easy.
I have repeatedly stated that dogs are excellent teachers. Watch them engage with the world, with the present moment. My dog has three main purposes - food, fun and love. In my next life, I want to come back as my dog. We believe that humans are the most intelligent species but we struggle to embrace the abundance of life and truly live in the short time we have.
Obviously, the structure of society has a lot to do with our inability to be present and perpetually focus on food, fun and love. Nonetheless, it seems that is what we are still focusing on but just indirectly. Because we cannot get food without money, we work. Because fun seems to often require access which requires funds, we work. Because love is promoted as being tied to a lifestyle that requires things, we work.
Is work what separates us from other mammals?
This maybe part of it. I think there is more. One could also claim that our mammalian cousins work too. They just do it in more of an immediate and direct manner. Their work often constitutes getting food rather than doing some work to get paid to go to a store to buy food.
So, what’s the secret? In reflecting on what I have just expressed, I’d say:
Be present as much as possible
Stop sweating about the stuff that is not real
If it is real, do something about it
Find work that offers some fun and love, if possible, then working to get access to food will be far more rewarding.
Strive to get food in ways that are fulfilling.
When it comes to actually facing fear that is clear and present, what do we do?
First, I suggest playing the “what if” game. I did this many times in my years guiding wilderness trips. I considered the possibility of a real danger, for example, a bear arriving on my campsite. I considered a variety of scenarios. I then considered a variety of productive actions. I turned this over in my head again and again until I found the scenario (or scenarios) that seemed the most advantageous. This process burnt a flowchart of action into my head that could be recalled even in a moment of high anxiety. I consider this an exercise in building meta-awareness.
Why is this important?
For one, when we are in a state of high anxiety, (i.e., our autonomic nervous system is in a sympathetic state pressing fight, flight or freeze reactions), we are predominantly using the primitive limbic region of our brain. It is reactive. It lacks some higher order reasoning. It undermines one of our greatest strengths as humans. If we have gone through a training exercise like the ‘what if’ game, then we can offset this regressive thinking and maintain our advantage.
This advantage is the capacity of the prefrontal cortex to think in nuanced ways and come up with intricate solutions to challenges.
Here, strength is displayed in its resistance to being overwhelmed by stress and/or perceived stress. After that, strength is the capacity to either reason or act. It could be both as well.
Perhaps instead of entertaining the multiplicity of swirling anticipatory demons, try one or both of the following:
Reason.
Play the ‘what if game’, prepare, recognize counterproductive rumination, double down on critical thinking and a real solutions.
Act.
Just do it. I know that sounds like a Nike ad but there is a lot of truth to that. As our dog teachers show, stop perseverating about possibilities and take action. Fail fast, if needed. Often an action, even a wrong one, is more beneficial than an extended deliberation. We learn from experience more than we do from theory.
What do you think? What helps you manage and dissipate worry?
Rant on Worrying:
What do you think?