The Opinionator on Anxiety

A lengthy series of personal pieces on anxiety is running on The New York Times online-only Opinionator.  The most recent "America the Anxious" is quite funny, others more serious.  I felt a kinship with this writer, Diana Spechler:

"For more than four years — ever since graduation had dumped me into adulthood — I’d been leveled by anxiety. My days were plagued with worry. Was I living correctly? … Innocuous things I said to people haunted me hours later— Was that dumb? Mean? Wildly inappropriate?—until I’d squirm with shame."

In my case, the problem started at age 5 (starting school maybe?) and some of the "things I said" caused trouble for decades.  Medication took away about 88% of this problem.  Spechler tackled it with yoga.  Another writer turned first to playing the piano and then to the Zen-based work of John Cage. 

A lot of interesting different approaches… worth reading.

 

Categories: enhancing creativity

Tags: anxiety, anxious, shame, yoga, Zen