Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom

Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health disorders. In fact, 36% of all mental health disorders are anxiety disorders 😓, to make it even worse, this number isn’t even accurate. There are many people with symptoms that haven’t been diagnosed yet. Anxiety is caused by a number of different factors, but what if I told you this:

Without freedom, there is no anxiety.

When thinking of freedom and anxiety, they seem like complete polar opposites, but what if I told you that they’re more closely related than you had initially thought 🤯. The freedom of choice is surprisingly one of the biggest factors that causes anxiety.

Freedom + Anxiety

Freedom opens so many doors, we have the choice to do what we want. We have a sense of flexibility in our life and we’re able to make decisions to our liking. However, as great as all this sounds, it’s actually one of the biggest anxiety inducers. Knowing that we are free to do whatever we want, it’s really scary. The entire thought process of making the wrong decision. Making a decision also means that we have to accept change into our lives; change has always been a difficult thing to accept for humans. All of this combined creates anxiety.

So where did this entire idea come from 🧐

This entire idea of freedom and anxiety comes from the thoughts and beliefs of a great Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard.

His Thoughts + Beliefs

Soren Kierkegaard wrote a book called The Concept of Anxiety and in this book, he talks about his thoughts around anxiety. Anxiety stems from self-consciousness. As we grow up, we’re given more and more control, we are aware of what’s going on around us. Along with this, we’re introduced to this idea of freedom. Being aware of that freedom is a real thing and that we are able to make our own decisions generates anxiety. Kierkegaard’s describes this as:

“Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom” — Soren Kierkegaard

Kierkegaard’s understanding of anxiety is similar to the dizziness that an individual might feel when they’re looking at the endless possibilities they have at their fingertips. Kierkegaard touches on the idea that we are in complete control of our destiny — we’re able to choose where we want to go and what we want to do next. Humans are naturally attracted to power, especially by the power of freedom. But this has negative repercussions as well 😖. Although we have freedom, it generates a lot of confusion as we’re in this constant need of making the right decision.

“Grasp at finiteness” — Soren Kierkegaard

To avoid all this confusion and anxiety, humans have a tendency to deny reality as it is. Kierkegaard describes this desire as humans “grasping for finiteness.” If we were to live in a world where freedom didn’t exist and life was completely structured from top to bottom, this would be beneficial in getting rid of anxiety, but we would sacrifice our ability to grow. The ability to move forward in life is dependent on taking on new opportunities and straying away from the norm. We must be able to accept anxiety in order to maximize our potential.

Key Takeaways from Kierkegaard’s Understanding of Anxiety

1. Anxiety has no age
2. Make the most of the moment
3. Anxiety = opportunities
4. Finding joy

Anxiety has no age 💯

Adam’s Choice to Eat an Apple

Anxiety doesn’t have any age and it most definitely isn’t something that’s exclusive to our current generation. Anxiety has been present in every single generation and it’s a growing issue. One of the first examples experienced by a human was Adam’s decision to consume the apple from God’s forbidden tree of knowledge. The concept of good and evil didn’t exist before this point, Adam wasn’t aware of what is considered “good” or “evil”. However, it was his decision to eat the apple when God had told him not to eat. The anxiety in this situation is a result of Adam being open to different possibilities and now freedom is attainable. Kierkegaard touches on the idea that all humans are born with the same freedom, but through decisions they make, anxiety is generated 😓. Throughout history, some periods of time have been coined as the “age of anxiety.” There was the medieval time, world war periods, etc. However, the key difference between all these time periods are the threats they pose to human life. These threats have been constantly changing, and as a result, cause anxiety.

Make the most of the moment ✍️

One of the ideas Kierkegaard focused on is living in the moment. The key to getting around anxiety is to not think about the numerous possibilites and focus on what’s in your control in the present. Going into deep thought about the future is pretty much helpless. This ideology of staying/thinking in the present has been conceptualized throughout history. It’s the answer to preventing our anxious thoughts from overtaking our mind. This entire idea was first introduced in Kierkegaard’s book, The Concept of Anxiety.

Anxiety = Opportunities❗️

“Dev, this sounds so stupid”, I know these 2 things sound like polar opposites, but they’re 2 sides of the same coin.

Kierkegaard’s outlook on anxiety also means that it opens up doors to many opportunities 🤯. Anxiety is a golden change to overcome free — especially in the face of freedom. It gives us a chance to step out of our comfort zone and use our wisdom and knowledge to make a smart decision. A life without possibilities will succumb to despair and depression; anxiety is the path for personal growth. It’s an intrinsic driver that pushes humans to self-improve.

Finding Joy Within Anxiety 😅

Despite the negative outlook anxiety tends to have, Kierkegaard was able to find joy within anxiety. Kierkegaard strongly believed that observing nature and it’s beauty was a way to spark joy within oneself. Human evolution has tricked our minds into valuing negative events more than positive ones. Focusing on the bright and positive things within our world bring joy and we naturally become grateful for what we have.

My Thoughts

Kierkegaard’s unique outlook on anxiety is truly eye-opening, especially since anxiety has been negatively stigmatized in our society. However, Kierkegaard’s perspective helps us grow and it’s a way for us to be more self-aware of our choices. The power we carry is often anxiety inducing, but it opens doors to many opportunities.

“The greater the anxiety, the greater the man” — Soren Kierkegaard

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