Are you struggling with anxiety?
Do you feel like you’re fighting a losing battle?
Are you starting to feel like no matter what you do, this problem won’t go away?
You may have tried different methods to reduce your anxiety, but none of them work. You’re feeling helpless and overwhelmed by the situation. It’s hard to keep going when all your efforts are in vain.
So what would you say if I told you that I can provide you with a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel? I’d even say I have a solution for you. And this approach worked for me and others. Imagine a life without ever again feeling the burden of anxiety.
How would that feel?
It may sound counter-intuitive, but you don’t have to do anything about it.
Do you think now beating anxiety without doing anything sounds too good to be true? Well, read on and see for yourself.
Let Anxiety Just Happen
You might be wondering how and why in the world you should anxiety just “let happen” if you want to get rid of it.
It’s pretty simple.
Why? Because you have no choice. You tried everything, and nothing worked. That’s why you’re here.
How? There’s an ancient Chinese concept of non-action called wu wei (無為).
It essentially means you stop forcing yourself to do something to fight anxiety. Instead, by allowing things to happen naturally and without resistance or attachment, you find relief from your anxious thoughts and feelings.
I’m living and breathing Daoist concepts for 17 years now. But I’d say the last 2 years were the most challenging for me regarding anxiety. It was like a never-ending roller coaster. And after such a long time, it should have been a piece of cake for me to solve this situation in a second. Even though I solved it in the end, it wasn’t easy, because it was related to a new situation.
However, I’ve learned a lot on the way, and this is what I’m sharing here (and in future articles) with you.
Stop Punching It in the Face
I know how you feel. When anxiety comes, you want to punch it in the face, try different methods of squashing it down, or just curl up and cry.
So why is doing nothing (more) helpful when it comes to beating anxiety?
Because doing nothing is much deeper than you assume.
It’s not just about being passive or lazy. It’s about shifting your perspective, allowing yourself to be in the present moment fully, and understanding what even happens.
But first, let’s talk about what people usually do when they’re anxious and why it doesn’t work. Understanding what doesn’t work helps us recognize what does work, allowing us to stop losing time and energy on things that bring no results.
Yep, I’m giving you the “why are you even doing this stuff?” look if you know that it doesn’t work.
Ignoring It
We’ve all been there. Overwhelmed by anxious thoughts and emotions, so we try to push them away. But trying to ignore it not only doesn’t work. It makes things worse. This tactic is based on the notion that by ignoring something long enough, it will go away.
But that’s not how anxiety works! When you try to suppress anxious thoughts and feelings, they become stronger and more intense over time.
Alcohol and/or Drugs
Many people use alcohol or drugs to cope with their anxiety because they promise a quick fix. But they can make your anxiety worse in the long run.
Not only is this coping mechanism dangerous and unhealthy for your body, but it also won’t offer lasting relief from your symptoms. Which you already know if you’ve used it.
Plus, using alcohol or drugs can create an emotional dependency that keeps you stuck in cycles of self-medication and avoidance behavior. Which is ultimately harmful to managing your anxiety in the long run.
Overthinking
Constantly over-analyzing situations to outsmart anxiety is useless too.
When we focus too much on our worries and anxieties instead of maintaining our sense of perspective and balance, we get stuck in a cycle of obsessing over our fears without finding any real solutions or progress toward healing.
Overthinking can quickly become an inescapable rabbit hole.
Overworking or Over-Exercising
Some people attempt to get rid of anxiety by working too hard or over-exercising.
While exercise and work can help manage your stress levels, it’s necessary to maintain a healthy balance so that you don’t overexert yourself and end up feeling worse afterward.
Anxiety isn’t something that can be easily beaten with short-term fixes. It requires consistent effort and dedication to finding lasting relief from our symptoms.
Unfortunately, many tactics we try don’t work as well as we’d hoped. We must remember this to stop wasting time trying ineffective strategies when there are better ways out there for us to manage our anxiety!
How to Unlock Anxiety Relief With the Ancient Art of Wu Wei
Now that we’ve discussed what doesn’t work and why let’s talk about what works: the Daoist concept of wu wei.
You might still wonder why you should do nothing about anxiety. The answer is that you’re not focused on getting rid of it when you’re acting. It’s the same as with a conversation. If you want to hear what other people say, you must stop talking.
