299. Noticing Anxiety

When I’m bothered by distressing events happening in the world, I can easily fall under the influence of anxiety. Anxiety is a kind of suffering that arises in response to attachment — usually attachment to a desire for stability or certainty. Often the feeling of anxiety is so powerful that it overwhelms any other feelings. But sometimes it is more subtle and experienced only as a kind of tension or numbness.

When anxiety is present, it can cause me to take actions that are not only unnecessary but also harmful. The harm can be as simple as being distracted from treating myself and others with compassion. My attention is taken from me and given instead to the signal of danger that is threatening my attachment.

I cannot escape from anxiety simply by forcing myself to ignore the signal that I’m perceiving. In fact, I must see it, for it is by seeing that it becomes possible for me to respond from awareness. However, I do not have to allow my anxiety control over my attention or actions.

Noticing the presence of anxiety when it arises can be challenging. I have to be able to recognize subtle changes in my body and my attention that indicate the presence of suffering. When I can notice these subtleties, I gain an opportunity to intervene. I can release my attention from its narrow focus on the concerning signal and allow it to wander back to what is necessary: my own needs and the needs of the people around me.

As I do this, I must take care not to just reduce my attention to those things I can directly control. By focusing only on what I can control, I limit myself to a very narrow set of possible actions. But to overcome the significant problems of need and suffering, I have to allow myself to act without boundaries. I have to allow my individual abilities to join with those of others towards compassionate actions that can create change at every possible level.