Angst

Antidote — a medicine taken or given to counteract a particular poison, the particular poison of the day being angst — a feeling of deep anxiety or dread, typically an unfocused one about the human condition or the state of the world in general.

That definition is a spot on description of what I take to bed on some nights — an unfocused anxiety about the human condition or the state of the world. I don’t know why I’m anxious, I just am.

Let this definition be a clue on the path of discovering the antidote and providing a little medicine for what ails you!

Below is a very brief overview of the brain. This will help us find our antidote by noticing what part of the brain we are using. Then we can make the adjustment needed to feel better.

The brain has two Hemispheres, the Left Hemisphere and the Right Hemisphere.

The Left Hemisphere sees the world through a lens of focus and attention. Here is a partial list of words that describe this — logic, positivity, structure, clear focus and direction, analysis, etc.

The Right Hemisphere sees the world through a lens of freedom and meaning. Here is a partial list of words that describe this — empathy, cooperation, focus on the broader meaning, inspiration, metaphor, etc.

These positive words are commonly referred to as being, “above the line”.

ALSO *drumroll and scary music* there is a counter side to each of the Hemispheres. It is the more negative side that is commonly called, being “below the line”.

When we aren’t feeling our best, the Left Hemisphere can see the world through a lens of rigidity. Here is a partial list of words that describe this — anger, rigid thinking, blame, denial and over-focus on action to the exclusion of human feelings, fight, etc.

The Right Hemisphere will see the world through the lens of chaos. Here is a partial list of words that describe this — hopelessness, sadness, fear, anxiety and an inability to move into action due to emotional overwhelm, depression, etc.

As humans we tend to hang out more in one hemisphere than the other. To function at our best we need the wisdom of both hemispheres.

So here is a simplistic but helpful process:

Identify what hemisphere you are using. If you are feeling angst you are below the line of the Right Hemisphere.

Reach to the wisdom of your helper hemisphere…in this case it would be the Left Hemisphere.

What is it that you want to use from the above the line side of the Left Hemisphere?

(see diagram below)

Example — Last night I was feeling angst. It was an undefinable feeling of stress in my body, and my mind was chaotic — jumping from one fearful thought to another. [Below the line, Right Hemisphere thinking] Instead of hanging out in this awful mind/body space, I asked myself what I was needing. I decided that I needed one specific and focused thing I could do to pull myself up. [Left Hemisphere thinking] My answer was to research and write this blog. It helped so much for me to put some definition and clarity to my thoughts. Publishing my thoughts took it to the next level because, just maybe, it would be of help to someone else.

My antidote for angst is CLEAR FOCUS AND DIRECTION.

What is yours?

When you are suffering with angst do the next good thing with clear focus and direction. Richard Rohr says that “the best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better”. What is one specific something you can do that will be the next good thing? Do it! You will find that your mind will become clear and crisp and your body will feel lighter. Tension will release. The ache in your gut will be gone.

We can be the sculptors of our own brain. Yes, outside circumstances impact us. However, we can be responsible for what we allow to happen within ourselves. Life is too short to hang out in joyless spaces in our mind, heart, soul and body. So do your best to shift from angst to calmness and clarity!