“There are more things… likely to frighten us than there are to crush us; we suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” -Seneca
Anxiety is at an all time high. People are more medicated for anxiety and depression than almost any other condition. Why is this happening and why now? I have plenty of theories, but I can't really answer this one definitively. I will point out, however, that the vast information available to us, the overwhelming amount of news pouring in from around the world, isn't helping the situation. The information we can access in one day is more than someone living a century ago would have had access to in an entire year. No wonder we're stressed.
But WHAT are we stressed about? So often I find that my mind is occupied by something that doesn't directly affect me. I play out "what if" scenarios in my mind of things that actually could affect me. Sometimes I, as my therapist calls it, "catastrophize" and assume the worst case scenario. The Stoic philosphers had some thoughts on this.
Seneca pointed out that many of the things we spend out time worrying about will never happen. We ruin our day by thinking something is going to ruin our day and then that thing never plays out. We cause ourselves to suffer from the worry itself, not the thing we're worried about. In a letter to Lucilius, he wrote, "We are in the habit of exaggerating, or imagining, or anticipating sorrow." Later, he says, "You will suffer soon enough, when it arrives; so look forward meanwhile to better things. What shall you gain by doing this? Time."
We don't know what will happen in the future, but we do know that time is ticking away while we're worrying about it and we'll never get that time back. So let's "look forward meanwhile to better things." We'd do well to learn from the Apostle Paul as well.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is antying worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:8
Who doesn't want peace? It can seem elusive in troubling times, but if we set our hearts and minds of the Lord, peace can be obtained and sustained. It's not that we won't have trouble, but that we'll have peace in the midst of it. We can learn to be content in all circumstances.
"I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strenthens me." Philippians 4:12-13