How to Worry a Little Less in Times of Panicky Moments

We obsess over our desire and ambition.

We respond to sudden unexpected insults. We worry about the image we present in the eyes of people we know from work or school. And we obsess over our desires and ambitions.

Yet, on a cosmic scale, nothing we do has the slightest significance.

This perspective may sound harsh, but it frees us from our exhausted egos. We would feel a lot lighter if we could admit how unimportant we are in the larger scheme.

When feeling like living in an anxious rabbit hole, we should learn to feel grateful by seeing the bigger picture in the universe. Early in the morning or during relaxing weekends, we might find rare moments to admire nature's beauty and perfection. Or we may have a window of chances to acknowledge the privilege of being alive and having senses to fuse with our environment.

Your mind allows you to step outside of yourself. At this point, possessions and status become an illusion, and regret loses its gravity. States of these kinds are short-lived, yet you should use the insight for panicky moments that need you the most.

A British philosopher, Alain de Botton, whose work emphasizes relevance to everyday life, states that a potential cure for our social and status anxiety is to acknowledge how insignificant our impulsive reactions are next to the scale of the cosmic universe.

“To meditate on the unimportance of our own end, stangely, does not make [life] more frightening. We may be amazed to be here at all. ”

— Alain de Botton

Humans are short-lived creatures. People can’t possibly know when and how they will die. Appreciation of being alive makes anything in lifeless worrying. So look out of the window to step outside of your mind when feeling edgy and uneasy.