Does anxiety come by itself or do we choose it – what to do about it?

Do anxiety and depression come by themselves or do we develop them? It's both ways.

At one sense, anxiety is just a result of living in a material world where there are many things that are not in our control. Anxiety is caused by uncertainty. So if I had to catch a flight and I am not sure whether I will reach on time or not.

That is anxiety. So in a sense, anxiety is unavoidable in this world. Because while functioning in this world, we need things to happen in a particular way.

But whether they will happen or not is not in our control. So that uncertainty will lead to anxiety. But there is anxiety caused by uncertainty.

But there is anxiety that is multiplied by the mentality. When the mind starts keep replaying, what happens, what if this happens, what if this happens, what if this happens. So the fear is just natural.

And it's also in many ways desirable. If a child is leaning from a 10 story building, normally if we lean from a 10 story building, we feel some fear. Now if the child doesn't feel fear, the mother will feel great fear, hey come back, what are you doing? So fear is a natural and necessary reaction to danger.

And it protects us, don't do this thing. So fear is not the problem. Fearfulness is the problem.

Fearfulness means, I have come back, I am sitting peacefully at my home, but still I am thinking, oh I was peering down that 10 story building, what if I fell down, what if I die? So the danger is no longer there, but still it is playing again and again in the mind. So basically for us, if we all have situations where there is uncertainty, and we have to prepare to deal with them. But if we just keep replaying the negative scenarios that may happen, then that will lead from fear to fearfulness.

And anxiety is just normal in life. But when it becomes anxiety disorder, that means there is excessive anxiety. So we do have to think about the problematic situations and plan how to deal with them.

But the difference is that when we are in the mode of goodness, we are in control. It's like we take the screen and move it forward. If this happens, what can I do? I can do this, this, this.

If this happens, I can do this, this, this. If this happens, I can do this, this. So when we are in control and we are directing our consciousness towards the future to analyze, to plan and prepare.

That is good. If you do that, then the anxiety that is there, it will go down. Okay, I have some plans to deal with it, how to deal with it.

But in the mode of ignorance, we are not in control, we are just passively glued to watching the inner screen and the inner screen goes to the future. And then what happens? This will go wrong. No, it's bad.

This can also go wrong. That can also go wrong. It's like one negative scenario, second negative scenario, third negative scenario.

Just see the negative scenarios without thinking of any solutions. So the point which I am making is, anxiety as a stimulus will come into us. But when we replay it, we make it into a habit.

So how to stop replaying it? Just at that time, come back to the present. I have a full class on this, on how to deal with fear. I won't go into the full class, but there is an acronym I use, FEAR.

F-E-A-R. F is focus. Focus means, what is the exact problem now? Focus on the present.

Mind is saying, this, this, this. But what is the exact problem now? Focus. If I lose my job, this will happen.

What is the exact problem right now? I heard that my colleague was fired. What is the exact problem right now? The problems I may be facing. What is the exact problem right now? Right now, actually there is no problem.

Or right now the problem may be, that I have to make sure that I do my job. If I do my job well, then I have done my part. I think there is a second point.

E is engage. Engage means, what can I do about it right now? See, I say the soul is here, the body is here, the mind is here. There is Jnanendriya and Karmendriya.

Jnanendriya is knowledge acquiring senses. Karmendriya is the working senses. So now both of these are, they are meant to interact with the physical world.

When we get into anxiety, that means the mind is just playing some picture and getting distracted from both. But through these two questions, we are getting the Jnanendriya and the Karmendriya back into the present. What is wrong right now? What is the problem right now? Get the Jnanendriya.

Analyze, observe. Then what can I do about it right now? So as soon as I engage, I can just start my work right now. So as soon as you start doing this, as soon as you start engaging in some practical action, and we don't watch the mind movie so much.

Then the anxiety goes down. Then A is Arise. Arise means that we need to raise our consciousness up.

I am actually a spiritual being. I am a soul. I am a part of Krishna.

I am indestructible. No matter what bad things happen in life, I as a soul can never be destroyed. So I am a part of Krishna, and Krishna is always going to be in the heart of you.

Arise. So the first two are simply to get off the mind and bring to the physical reality. The next two are to take to the spiritual reality.

Arise. I am a soul. I am a part of Krishna.

And R is Release. Release means that which is not in my control, I let it go. Krishna, you take care of it.

I entrust it to you. When we focus on Krishna, when we remember Krishna, then it's not just Krishna or the historical figure thousand years ago. Krishna is the Supreme Lord who is in control right now also.

So normally in the materialistic world view, we only think of two things. Things are in my control or things are out of my control. But in the spiritual world view, I understand that things that are out of my control are not out of control.

They are in Krishna's control. So I release it to Krishna. When I release it, this release is not abandonment.

I let go of the things that are going on in my mind to focus on what I can practically do. So if you do this, just focus, engage, arise and release. You will find that the fear will go down substantially.

Okay?