How Philosophy, Yes Philosophy, Can Help You With Anxiety

Buddha and Kierkegaard are here to help

Photo: Gerolamo Auricchio/EyeEm/Getty Images

I came to philosophy seeking relief from melancholy and anxiety. But after years of study, as a student and a philosophy professor, I still have these feelings. I now believe that anxiousness is a crucial aspect of the human condition, and I must live with it — it’s a vital component of my ever-evolving self.

I hope philosophy can be of similar service to you. I think philosophy can help you accept that we will always feel anxiety. More importantly, it can help you understand that we don’t have to be anxious about being anxious.

Here are three simple truths that I think show how:

Anxiousness forces you to face reality

Consider the four Noble Truths of Buddhism, which the Buddha offered to his disciples as antidotes to this world’s perplexities:

1. There is suffering in this world.
2. This suffering has an identifiable cause.
3. This suffering can be eased.
4. Here is how you do so.

Buddhism’s First Noble Truth notes the undeniable, acute human dissatisfaction with existence. The Buddha then notes that our first step toward relief, as…