Recently, I have been bugged with a lot of thoughts. They are filling up my space; they are everywhere in my surroundings; I can’t ignore them. They are omnipresent. Of course, for all of us, they are omnipresent. Still, I have a habit of overthinking, which generally leads me to conclusions based on assumptions of critical thinking accompanied by biased logic that result in panic and anxiety.
Lately, I have been facing these issues quite a lot. I usually panic and get anxious daily based on my situation and circumstances. Yes, I require a break, but that doesn’t help resolve my state of mind. Further, I have witnessed specific issues that I went through wherein I go blank at the moment and try to act normal, but my face says it all.
Having said that, I have resorted to various means to help me out, apart from counseling, which I surely feel is the need of the hour, but I want to rely on the counselor once I feel it’s time that things are slipping out of my hands. Recently, I tried to subdue my anxiety with the help of Tragic Optimism. For those who don’t know what Tragic Optimism is, it is based on three aspects that a human can be an optimist about (1) Pain, (2) Guilt, and (3) Death.
For me, I am trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel through my pain and suffering caused by the circumstances around me and the realisations of the past that I am trying to make peace with.
But how is it working for me? The hectic work environment combined with the family trauma is a cherry on the cake. At the moment, the ball is not in my court, but I am trying to let go of demands I cannot control. I usually begin writing down my thoughts as soon as the air feels fresh rather than thinking about how things will eventually happen and can take any direction. As a result, I create a work or action that won’t necessarily help me transcend suffering but will help me navigate it.
Whenever faced with a situation, I usually suppress emotions that lead to numbness and mental fatigue. It can happen to anyone, and everyone can have a different way of dealing with it. I resort to finding meaning in the suffering and believing in the phrase, “This shall too pass.” Although “this” doesn’t pass “easily,” therefore, it is pivotal to understand what to do in the phase where anticipatory anxiety takes over. Usually, when people are presented with such situations, there are two options: fight or flight. Usually, people resort to the latter, and those who opt for the former generally find meaning in suffering. On the contrary, it is not necessary to find meaning in every situation we face; rather, one can go ahead and just try to be in the moment and let that pass. But, if you can, it becomes easy to sail through every tide.
The above references are taken from Viktor Frankl‘s book Man’s Search for Meaning