Coping with Anxiety

“Acute Anxiety”

More people – about 50 million of them in the US in 2015 – suffer from acute anxiety than ever before. Of course, people confronted difficulties in the past, but modern society promotes anxiety.

Three elements generate anxiety:

1. The rapidity of change in modern societies.
2. A lack of agreement on moral and social norms to live by.
3. An increasing disaffection with “postindustrial society’s” functioning.

People feel vulnerable and anxious when they lack attachment to something greater than themselves – perhaps a mission, the good of society or faith in the divine. People can regain a sense of security and comfort by caring about other people or about situations that lie beyond their own concerns.

To understand anxiety, first distinguish it from other psychological states. When you experience fear, your emotions focus on specific, concrete issues around you. For instance, you could fear losing the approval of someone important to you.

Your sense of anxiety could preoccupy you, especially if you don’t know why you feel anxious. To tackle anxiety, address your body, behavior and...