Quieten The Ego And You Flush Out The Anxiety

When I get anxious it usually goes a certain way.

I begin to think other people hate me, or I compare myself to other people, and this causes me to spiral into a bout of low-esteem and confidence. This can take a variety of forms, but the root is always the same:

I am thinking about ME and how this relates to the external world.

For much of the anxiety that I feel, ego is at the root of it. Perhaps this is true for you too, but you aren’t yet aware of it. Many of things I get anxious about have to do with how the world related to the ‘I’ and this is because during these times I am allowing the ego to assume control and dictate what is important.

Thus, it stand to reason that if I reduce the grip of my ego, if I stop engaging with the world from a self-centred place, the possibility of anxiety will reduce. If I do not constantly fixate on how others perceive me then how would this cause me to become anxious?

The modern era obsesses over attention and validation. It is ingrained in everything we do due to the prevalence of social media. And this self-obsession lends itself to some forms of anxiety, because when you are ruled by your ego – by ‘the self’ – then you became more concerned with how others view you, naturally.

When your ego is concerned about what others think it may begin to generate theories and ideas without any evidence. And this manifests as anxiety. The person not ruled by ego doesn’t wonder if people hate him, because how others view a person with a disciplined ego is of no concern to him.

The first step to reducing the control of the ego is to become aware of its current grip, Meditating is good way to begin this. But you can also stop and question your thoughts. Why am I comparing myself to her? Why do I think these people don’t like me? And if they really do not like me, why does this bother me? The answers to these questions are almost always linked to an overactive ego.

Something to think about.

Be good,

Daragh