Why Philosophy for Anxiety?
Modern cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)—the gold standard treatment for anxiety—was directly inspired by Stoic philosophy. When you learn philosophical approaches to anxiety, you're learning the original source material.
Philosophy offers something that quick fixes cannot: a fundamental shift in how you relate to your own thoughts and fears. Rather than fighting anxiety or running from it, philosophy teaches you to understand it.
The Stoic Approach
The Stoics understood that anxiety comes from our judgments about events, not the events themselves. As Epictetus put it: "It's not things that upset us, but our judgments about things."
The Dichotomy of Control
Most anxiety comes from worrying about things outside our control—what others think, whether we'll succeed, what might happen. The Stoic solution is radical acceptance of what we cannot control, combined with focused action on what we can.
The Buddhist Approach
Buddhism addresses anxiety through mindfulness—the practice of observing thoughts and feelings without being controlled by them. Rather than fighting anxious thoughts, you learn to watch them arise and pass, like clouds moving through the sky.
The Present Moment
Anxiety almost always involves the future—worry about what might happen. Buddhism teaches that the present moment is the only reality. When you return your attention to right now, anxiety often dissolves.
Practical Techniques
- •The pause: Before reacting to anxiety, take three conscious breaths.
- •Name it to tame it: Label your emotion to reduce its intensity.
- •Reality check: Ask what evidence supports or contradicts your fear.
- •Zoom out: Will this matter in a year? Taking the long view shrinks worries.