I didn't learn until long after I was out of school that anxiety isn't necessarily a bad thing.
And, believe it or not, I heard it at a mindfulness seminar. The speaker explained to us that we might not have survived millions of years ago if we hadn't looked at the future with some amount of anxiety.
Of course he was referring to the days when we were both predator and prey. And if we didn't have anxiety about what was around the next clump of trees or rocks we might not survive.
He emphasized that our DNA is interwoven with anxiety as a survival mechanism. An early warning system that danger could lurk ahead. That we should pay attention to anything that might devour us. Run over us. Eat us.
After all, there are a million kinds of danger in our modern world. But when our anxiety becomes an obsession that requires medication so we can make it through the day, then it becomes an issue.
When we look at the future as being dangerous, we can find all kinds of things to be anxious about.
I think we do better when we accept that a little danger exists in all our lives. Accepting that as a part of reality makes us stronger and more prepared. Maybe one day we'll be taught this in school.
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