In order to discover the cause
of anxiety philosophy doesn't analyse the anxiety in the individual person's
life in the way that psychology does, but is seeking to clarify the concept of anxiety,
the nature of anxiety, as it is everywhere.
In addition to this philosophy
investigates the anxiety as a whole – not the numerous psychological forms of
anxiety, but the anxiety.
In philosophy there is only
one anxiety.
Though there in the individual
person's life are different causes of anxiety, developed by multifarious
challenges and reactions, then anxiety still is only one in philosophical
sense.
When it comes to anxiety I start off, in my thinking, with the question, what if. What if this happens? And the thought is usually something negative. So, first of all, anxiety is a future based emotion; an irrational fear of a future event.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I can refute the what-if-negative-outcome thoughts with a little critical thinking and prove to myself that they are irrational. Yet emotionally, I am still anxious.
So, one philosophical antidote would be to get closer to courage and stop trying to control things that are not under my control in the first place.