3 Perks of a Panic.

Strong-ly Worded Newsletter (#13)

Anxiety shares physical symptoms with excitement but is psychologically a different beast - it’s formally defined by its net negative effect.

Excitement energises while anxiety makes you think you’re going to die.

Still, just because an anxiety dump feels bad doesn’t mean it’s purposeless, or, dare I say, desired. As someone who wears his heart on his sleeve, I too am wired to show immediate sympathy and care for all-things-vulnerability. Let me show you why it’s sometimes imprecise and how, actually, there are aspects of our own anxieties that we secretly appreciate.

It sounds fucked up, but anxiety has hidden perks. In psychology, they’re called secondary gains - unconscious advantages you get from feeling shit.

Here are 3:

1: Preserved Self-Image.

If you don’t try, you can’t fail. Anxiety benches you before you take the shot, so you don’t have to commit - or risk bruising your ego. Big win! For example: “I didn’t make it to the gym today because of my anxiety.”

2: Moral Credit.

Anxiety feels effortful and justified. “Bro, I’m facing demons.” You get sympathy, validation, maybe even applause, “He’s really up against the world that one.” It really feels like work but it ultimately diverts you away from the work.

3: Less Responsibility.

Anxiety tells you that the problem is other people (judging you), the problem is maybe the numbers, the mirrors or the vibe of the gym is just off. Anxiety, cleverly so, externalizes the problem to ‘out there’ and consequently robs you of the power to transform your situation from the inside out.

Anxiety is a Feature, not a Bug.

Anxiety doesn’t just torment, it provides very real rewards. In the depths of deep despair and dread is a golden nugget of value that makes maintaining regular bouts of anxiety oh-so worthwhile. Anxiety is not pure dysfunction or a glitch.

It is most empowering to see mental health through the lens of value and trade-offs, to see anxiety as a strategy to be recognised, understood, and repurposed.

“Today I escaped anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions- not outside”. – Marcus Aurelius.