A characteristic of our modern age is that we have more means of ensuring our comfort and
convenience than ever before. We can get a bed that is designed to one person’s exact
specifications on one side and another’s on the other side. We never have to be too hot or too cold. We can get food to eat in mere minutes. We carry a device around in our pockets that provides instant entertainment at the touch of a screen. And yet, there is no corresponding mental comfort to accompany all this physical ease. As is widely reported, today more people than ever suffer from anxiety. Childhood used to be considered a carefree time, but nowadays, even children and adolescents are afflicted with disturbing thoughts that frighten them and diminish the quality of their lives.
People try various strategies to overcome their anxiety, but often their efforts are merely
palliative: they suppress the symptoms without addressing the root cause. Thus, many people don’t really make any headway, and sometimes they end up significantly limiting their lives to avoid circumstances or situations that they regard as triggering. If we genuinely wish to free ourselves from negative patterns of thinking, we need to gain a better understanding of how our mind works. Once we develop some insight into what is actually happening in our mind when we experience anxiety, we will be in a position to actually free ourselves from its debilitating hold.
Want to know more about the true causes of anxiety and how to overcome it? Check out this inspiring video excerpt from a public talk given by Gen Kelsang Dornying in Liverpool a few years back. And join in our Healing Anxiety & Worry Silent Retreat this Saturday from 2-5pm at our Oak Park center.