Comments on: Existential Anxiety http://www.anxiety2calm.com/blogger/2006/04/existential-anxiety.html Anxiety, Panic Attack and Phobias Information Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:42:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: David http://www.anxiety2calm.com/blogger/2006/04/existential-anxiety.html/comment-page-1#comment-53019 David Wed, 21 Sep 2011 09:19:18 +0000 http://www.anxiety2calm.com/blogger/?p=47#comment-53019 Interesting comments and suggestions to a topic that in my opinion does not get enough attention. Please indulge me to offer my opinion on this matter. I believe that controlled existential thinking is relatively normal amongst individuals with an above average intelligence. As far as science is concerned man is the only creature on earth who ponders his mortality and who can grasp exactly how miniscule he really is in this vast universe. A moderate dose of existentialism is actually healthy and necessary for us as individuals and communities to evolve intellectually and spiritually. Be it as it may, existentialism becomes a problem when it interferes with normal life and debilitating anxiety, depression and nihilism creeps in. When this happens we are in fact no longer dealing with existentialism but with a medical condition. It could be bi-polar disorder, anxiety disorder, OCD or major depression and should be dealt with from that angle by a qualified professional. Look carefully and objectively at your train of thought - Are you trying to view a 3 dimensional world in a 1 dimensional way? Are you ruminating - in other words, going over the same questions over and over without finding any satisfactory answer or solution? Do you discredit anything positive about existence and only focus on the negative? Are your thoughts sometimes irrational? Does your brain "attack" you with these issues so that you snowball into extreme anxiety, derealisation and panic attacks? If you answer yes to most of these questions, you are probably dealing with a mental illness but the good news is that it is very treatable with a combination of medication and Cognitive Behavioural therapy. My point is that it is not the content of our thoughts that distress us but the way we think them. The human mind is attracted to energy and any thought that is intense (positive or negative) becomes habitual. The way to break this negative way of thinking is to casually disregard these thoughts without aggressively fighting them and without paying too much attention to them. This is much easier said than done and it takes great practice to regain control of your thinking habits. As I have said before, most people who struggle with these issues are usually gifted individuals and this is just how depression and anxiety manifest itself in this instance. You have to realise that you are viewing the universe through dark coloured lenses and most of your thoughts are irrational and symptomatic of a mental disorder. I always look at Nobile prize winner John Nash as a prime example. He is schizophrenic (which is far more severe than any of the mental illnesses we deal with here) and he used his mind to overcome his illness. Your mind is like a powerful horse. At the moment it is running wild and creating random havoc. You need to tame this horse and put it to constructive use. My opinion is that existential anxiety is sometimes the result of a mind that is not used to its fullest potential. Boredom or complacency is the perfect breeding ground for existential anxiety. Keep busy and redirect your focus to constructive endeavours. It is going to take time and discipline to get in control again but this state of mind is only temporary. Finally, and I do not want to sound preachy – most of these existential issues become irrelevant if one believes in a Supreme Being. According to renowned psychiatrist Scott Peck we are all on a spiritual journey. People who question things (like us) are more advanced in this journey than we think. Think of this existential crisis as a journey you are travelling, albeit not always a pleasant one, and one day you will arrive at a place where you start doubting your doubts. Hang in there, please go and speak to a psychiatrist, psychologist or councillor if things are unbearable and I am sure you will survive. God bless. Interesting comments and suggestions to a topic that in my opinion does not get enough attention. Please indulge me to offer my opinion on this matter. I believe that controlled existential thinking is relatively normal amongst individuals with an above average intelligence. As far as science is concerned man is the only creature on earth who ponders his mortality and who can grasp exactly how miniscule he really is in this vast universe. A moderate dose of existentialism is actually healthy and necessary for us as individuals and communities to evolve intellectually and spiritually. Be it as it may, existentialism becomes a problem when it interferes with normal life and debilitating anxiety, depression and nihilism creeps in. When this happens we are in fact no longer dealing with existentialism but with a medical condition. It could be bi-polar disorder, anxiety disorder, OCD or major depression and should be dealt with from that angle by a qualified professional. Look carefully and objectively at your train of thought – Are you trying to view a 3 dimensional world in a 1 dimensional way? Are you ruminating – in other words, going over the same questions over and over without finding any satisfactory answer or solution? Do you discredit anything positive about existence and only focus on the negative? Are your thoughts sometimes irrational? Does your brain “attack” you with these issues so that you snowball into extreme anxiety, derealisation and panic attacks? If you answer yes to most of these questions, you are probably dealing with a mental illness but the good news is that it is very treatable with a combination of medication and Cognitive Behavioural therapy. My point is that it is not the content of our thoughts that distress us but the way we think them. The human mind is attracted to energy and any thought that is intense (positive or negative) becomes habitual. The way to break this negative way of thinking is to casually disregard these thoughts without aggressively fighting them and without paying too much attention to them. This is much easier said than done and it takes great practice to regain control of your thinking habits. As I have said before, most people who struggle with these issues are usually gifted individuals and this is just how depression and anxiety manifest itself in this instance. You have to realise that you are viewing the universe through dark coloured lenses and most of your thoughts are irrational and symptomatic of a mental disorder. I always look at Nobile prize winner John Nash as a prime example. He is schizophrenic (which is far more severe than any of the mental illnesses we deal with here) and he used his mind to overcome his illness.
Your mind is like a powerful horse. At the moment it is running wild and creating random havoc. You need to tame this horse and put it to constructive use. My opinion is that existential anxiety is sometimes the result of a mind that is not used to its fullest potential. Boredom or complacency is the perfect breeding ground for existential anxiety. Keep busy and redirect your focus to constructive endeavours. It is going to take time and discipline to get in control again but this state of mind is only temporary.
Finally, and I do not want to sound preachy – most of these existential issues become irrelevant if one believes in a Supreme Being. According to renowned psychiatrist Scott Peck we are all on a spiritual journey. People who question things (like us) are more advanced in this journey than we think. Think of this existential crisis as a journey you are travelling, albeit not always a pleasant one, and one day you will arrive at a place where you start doubting your doubts.
Hang in there, please go and speak to a psychiatrist, psychologist or councillor if things are unbearable and I am sure you will survive. God bless.

]]> By: chris http://www.anxiety2calm.com/blogger/2006/04/existential-anxiety.html/comment-page-1#comment-51766 chris Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:00:31 +0000 http://www.anxiety2calm.com/blogger/?p=47#comment-51766 Nice comments. I've had quite a bit of my dealings with fear and anxiety. It comes and goes--sometimes with the seasons, and other times with how much alcohol I've drank. Sometimes I become a hypochondriac and have anxiety episodes, but I always emerge after some time. Lately its been inescapable. and it wasn't a medical scare--it was just a simple bought of deja vu, and then i had a meltdown. I went into this solipsistic rut where i felt like i couldn't communicate. I couldn't talk to my girlfriend, nor my house mates or anybody. The next day it got worse as I progressively thought about it and dwelled on the anxiety. And now it seems like its stuck with me. I have been feeling like I've lost control of my mind--but the ironic part is that existential philosophy says you are in control. I just want to acknowledge existence as something that just is, and I want to be able to live my life without it haunting me. I especially do not appreciate this anxiety. High heart rate, loss of apettite, and I don't want to say it--but before I read this post, I was having suicidal thoughts. Now--is this just an episode? Will it last--existential crisis can't be this intense, forever can they? Because, I'm going to be honest. . . If I'm like this for the next little while of my life, I just don't what I'm going to do. (Also these posts have been really helpful, and have articulated my feelings quite accurately) Chris Nice comments.

I’ve had quite a bit of my dealings with fear and anxiety. It comes and goes–sometimes with the seasons, and other times with how much alcohol I’ve drank. Sometimes I become a hypochondriac and have anxiety episodes, but I always emerge after some time.

Lately its been inescapable. and it wasn’t a medical scare–it was just a simple bought of deja vu, and then i had a meltdown. I went into this solipsistic rut where i felt like i couldn’t communicate. I couldn’t talk to my girlfriend, nor my house mates or anybody. The next day it got worse as I progressively thought about it and dwelled on the anxiety. And now it seems like its stuck with me. I have been feeling like I’ve lost control of my mind–but the ironic part is that existential philosophy says you are in control. I just want to acknowledge existence as something that just is, and I want to be able to live my life without it haunting me. I especially do not appreciate this anxiety. High heart rate, loss of apettite, and I don’t want to say it–but before I read this post, I was having suicidal thoughts.

Now–is this just an episode? Will it last–existential crisis can’t be this intense, forever can they? Because, I’m going to be honest. . . If I’m like this for the next little while of my life, I just don’t what I’m going to do.

(Also these posts have been really helpful, and have articulated my feelings quite accurately)
Chris

]]> By: jmarche http://www.anxiety2calm.com/blogger/2006/04/existential-anxiety.html/comment-page-1#comment-51166 jmarche Mon, 05 Sep 2011 05:17:37 +0000 http://www.anxiety2calm.com/blogger/?p=47#comment-51166 Sorry...one more thing...the main concept of existentialism is that we have a responsibility to create our lives, and this leads to a mass amount of anxiety. Perhaps a way to reduce the negative symptoms of existential anxiety is to take that responsbility to create...to do the things we say we are going to do, to create the life we want to live, not the life we think others want us to live, to honor the feelings we have, express them and be the people that we dream of being. This is scary to do, but we are responsible for our lives. I think that is what causes the greatest amount of anxiety. Sorry…one more thing…the main concept of existentialism is that we have a responsibility to create our lives, and this leads to a mass amount of anxiety. Perhaps a way to reduce the negative symptoms of existential anxiety is to take that responsbility to create…to do the things we say we are going to do, to create the life we want to live, not the life we think others want us to live, to honor the feelings we have, express them and be the people that we dream of being. This is scary to do, but we are responsible for our lives. I think that is what causes the greatest amount of anxiety.

]]> By: jmarche http://www.anxiety2calm.com/blogger/2006/04/existential-anxiety.html/comment-page-1#comment-51165 jmarche Mon, 05 Sep 2011 05:10:40 +0000 http://www.anxiety2calm.com/blogger/?p=47#comment-51165 I think that anyone who does not experience "existential anxiety" has deadened their feelings and their aliveness. I am an educator in this area, and teach about existential anxiety (EA) vs. ontological guilt (OG). I was online googling EA to make sure my resources were correct. I found that it was Martin Heidegger who wrote about ontological guilt. I think that what most people are writing about in this whole page/post thing is an awakening to feelings in general, which is really quite wonderful. I believe that EA is something different than the feeling that is described by most of the posters. Here is an example of EA vs OG: Say that I have an urge in the middle of the day - a surge of courage and desire- to be brave call someone that I had a crush on later when I get home from work. When I do get home from work, I remember that urge to call my crush when I take my cell phone out of my pocket. Yet rather than call, I decide that I am not going to do that, and instead I will use an excuse, and then proceed to get a snack for myself and sit down and watch a little television. That snack and tv turns into an overeating binge and a couple hours in front of the tube. I have now forgotten my urge to call my crush, and now have a greater justification for why I didn't, because I am too tired from food and TV. In this example, the urge to call is leading me INTO existential anxiety. It is scary to make that call and be revealed that I like that person, it leaves me vulnerable and it leads me into an unknown territory, hence the anxiety. It is the fear (anxiety) of BEING (existential) in a way that I have not been before (assertive in my dating). However, after eating and watching TV, I now have ontological guilt; I feel guilty over NOT BEING what I could have been. Not taking the step and following my urge, and denying my own existence. I have numbed my desires by eating and watching television. It is sort of the world we live in, and so it is so cool when we awaken to the fact that we are alive and have been living in a rather meaningless way, and perhaps there is something greater, or perhaps we realize we do not have that much time left. It is very upsetting, but it really is an awakening...it is what Carl Jung called something like a call to individuation. This happens a lot in our dreams, too. I hope this makes sense. I really do applaud anyone who posted on here and don't believe that medication helps for EA, I think it only numbs the feelings and perhaps causes more OG. I suggest reading of the existentialist philosophers, or psychologists like Rollo May or Viktor Frankl. Not all therapists are good with this and uncomfortable with their own EA. I guess it doesn't help the Anxiety go away, but at least we know that we are not alone and it is a topic studied by many wise theorists and philosophers, and just not something to make go away. I think that anyone who does not experience “existential anxiety” has deadened their feelings and their aliveness. I am an educator in this area, and teach about existential anxiety (EA) vs. ontological guilt (OG). I was online googling EA to make sure my resources were correct. I found that it was Martin Heidegger who wrote about ontological guilt. I think that what most people are writing about in this whole page/post thing is an awakening to feelings in general, which is really quite wonderful.

I believe that EA is something different than the feeling that is described by most of the posters. Here is an example of EA vs OG: Say that I have an urge in the middle of the day – a surge of courage and desire- to be brave call someone that I had a crush on later when I get home from work. When I do get home from work, I remember that urge to call my crush when I take my cell phone out of my pocket. Yet rather than call, I decide that I am not going to do that, and instead I will use an excuse, and then proceed to get a snack for myself and sit down and watch a little television. That snack and tv turns into an overeating binge and a couple hours in front of the tube. I have now forgotten my urge to call my crush, and now have a greater justification for why I didn’t, because I am too tired from food and TV. In this example, the urge to call is leading me INTO existential anxiety. It is scary to make that call and be revealed that I like that person, it leaves me vulnerable and it leads me into an unknown territory, hence the anxiety. It is the fear (anxiety) of BEING (existential) in a way that I have not been before (assertive in my dating). However, after eating and watching TV, I now have ontological guilt; I feel guilty over NOT BEING what I could have been. Not taking the step and following my urge, and denying my own existence. I have numbed my desires by eating and watching television. It is sort of the world we live in, and so it is so cool when we awaken to the fact that we are alive and have been living in a rather meaningless way, and perhaps there is something greater, or perhaps we realize we do not have that much time left. It is very upsetting, but it really is an awakening…it is what Carl Jung called something like a call to individuation. This happens a lot in our dreams, too.

I hope this makes sense. I really do applaud anyone who posted on here and don’t believe that medication helps for EA, I think it only numbs the feelings and perhaps causes more OG.

I suggest reading of the existentialist philosophers, or psychologists like Rollo May or Viktor Frankl. Not all therapists are good with this and uncomfortable with their own EA. I guess it doesn’t help the Anxiety go away, but at least we know that we are not alone and it is a topic studied by many wise theorists and philosophers, and just not something to make go away.

]]> By: Jen http://www.anxiety2calm.com/blogger/2006/04/existential-anxiety.html/comment-page-1#comment-43147 Jen Sun, 05 Jun 2011 19:02:25 +0000 http://www.anxiety2calm.com/blogger/?p=47#comment-43147 I am glad I came across this and like many of the people here, I am a little relieved that I am not the only person that feels this way. I am glad I came across this and like many of the people here, I am a little relieved that I am not the only person that feels this way.

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