- 13 Dec, 2025 *
I had a call with one of my mentors yesterday, and I expressed my anxieties around my future. I’m almost finished with graduate school, don’t know where I’ll be or what I’m doing after, feel bouts of loneliness because of such matters, and on and on.
He said something utterly revelatory. Anxiety, as uncomfortable as it is, is a form of hyper-awareness of what troubles us—of what we wish to be different in our respective lives.
I mean, it makes sense to me. Anxiety is a dreadful reaction towards the future, assuming things remain unchanged.
From this idea that anxiety is simply an exaggerated awareness of what could be better…
- 13 Dec, 2025 *
I had a call with one of my mentors yesterday, and I expressed my anxieties around my future. I’m almost finished with graduate school, don’t know where I’ll be or what I’m doing after, feel bouts of loneliness because of such matters, and on and on.
He said something utterly revelatory. Anxiety, as uncomfortable as it is, is a form of hyper-awareness of what troubles us—of what we wish to be different in our respective lives.
I mean, it makes sense to me. Anxiety is a dreadful reaction towards the future, assuming things remain unchanged.
From this idea that anxiety is simply an exaggerated awareness of what could be better stems a few inferences:
- It’s important to distinguish between what is within one’s control and what is not. The Stoic philosophers and the Buddhist monks had it right: attachment to what is outside of our control is a cause for unhappiness. Instead, by figuring out what we can have influence over, we take steps towards mitigating the sources of anxiety.
- It’s important to focus on one thing at a time, even when they are within our control, because spreading ourselves too thin in responding to what worries us can worsen the effects. Instead, by addressing one concern at a time and giving the task or problem its due attention, we maintain a sense of composure, a deliberate resolve.
- It’s important to cut out what doesn’t matter. Yes, focus on what’s within our control and on one thing at a time, but if those things don’t really address the root of anxiety, it’s not a good use of one’s time or energy. What good is paying attention to a distraction?
Since our call ended, I’ve had two working sessions in which I focused on writing. In contrast to the weeks and months of writer’s block I’ve been experiencing, by focusing on just the next paragraph, on just the next sentence, I was able to make steady progress. And if this concrete example can be expanded to other areas of life, like applying for jobs and researching places to live and building relationships? I wonder what I can accomplish if I allow myself to feel anxiety rather than running away from it.