End Suffering on Anxiety

by Kyle Rickert

Often, a feeling runs through me that makes my heart race, my skin tingle, and my stomach tighten. A physical response that unconsciously causes me to brace for the situation at hand. But as I recognize this state of anxiety taking over, I can’t always pinpoint what’s causing it. Fear is at the root of it, perpetuated by the over thinking of any situation. But what is causing this fear? One of the things that I’ve been able to observe, through going to New Life classes and working with these principles, is that it’s a fear of not winning or in other words not looking successful or not appearing to know what I’m doing.
I recently heard Vernon describe us as people who are “trying to act important to impress those around you while acting modest.” A fierce sense of competition personally causes me a lot of unconscious anxiety. The way that I grew up, it was pounded into me that you have to continue to always try and be better than those around you. I’ve learned that a pleasurable day using cosmic laws can quickly turn into an utterly vicious state when this kind of tension comes up. Into what Vernon described as “the Law of the Jungle,” always ready to attack.
Recently a daily quote put this concept simply, “See that it’s bad to need to win over anyone. It’s bad for you, it’s bad for them. Don’t be afraid to be good.” One of the only places I have been able to consistently let go of the feeling of competition is in these classes and at the banquets. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t come up there, but there is an inspiring energy surrounding this work that allows you to let go of wanting to win over other people.
The physical effects that I’ve seen in my own life from letting anxiety take ahold of me have led to a lot of frustration and worry. I’ve seen it deplete my energy to the point where I can barely think practically about what I’m doing and want to escape the physical place I’m in. And that’s what I’m winning by letting this mindset take me over? It’s really the opposite. I’m actually losing my energy, losing happiness, and losing consciousness because of an idea that I have something to gain. Vernon shared, “Instead of thinking of things for self-progress, think of what you cannot do. Esoteric action can be non-action. Think about how man’s life can be different if you don’t force your way through it.”
We’re exhausted from forcing our way through life and conditioned to do so to the point that when we finally stop momentarily, it feels like there’s something wrong. Vernon said, “You have to learn how to be sane.” Looking around at other people in the world there are almost no examples of how to do this. That’s why our only chance is to build a personal connection with something higher that will show us how to let go of anxiety, fear, competition, and to simply be. Knowing that this is possible and having appreciation for this work can take you a long way, but we must recommit daily to our aim. And when we forget, we must come back to it over and over for the rest of our lives here on Earth.