STRESS AND ANXIETY
As mentioned in the previous article, there are various factors that negatively affect positive mood. Stress and anxiety are among these factors. This article will focus on this topic.
High expectations and excessive ambition are triggers for stress and anxiety. We experience disappointment when we fail to meet our expectations. There are situations that are within our reach and situations that are not. Unrealistic expectations and the effort to achieve them will ultimately lead to disappointment, frustration, and collapse. Dissatisfaction, thoughts like "more is always better, I must have more than everyone else, I must be the best," inevitably result in stress, anxiety, and disappointment.
Many people feel the need to constantly succeed and prove themselves to others. This requires a continuous struggle. In this situation, when a person feels that someone else has achieved greater success than them, they may perceive themselves as less acceptable and less lovable. An individual who perceives themselves as weaker may try to feel stronger by belittling or making others feel inferior.
Since it's impossible to always be the best, this can lead to a vicious cycle of stress, anxiety, and disappointment. Feeling fragmented and constantly racing against time but never quite catching up can be a sign that stress is becoming chronic.
In fact, constantly striving to prove oneself while simultaneously experiencing a combination of stress, anxiety, and disappointment can be considered a paradox. However, humans are social beings, and everyone needs others to achieve self-realization. Even the highest-level leader needs others to survive. Regardless of our position, the food we eat, the water we drink, and the services we receive all involve the labor of thousands of people. In this context, the importance of being aware of what we do, our goals, and the flow of our lives becomes clear.
Feeling uncomfortable with what others possess may stem from focusing more on factors like financial status or career than on criteria such as knowledge, experience, or human values. This can lead to excessive ambition and a constant feeling of being in a state of struggle.
However, constantly othering others by saying "me" and "them" will lead to feelings of loneliness. Nevertheless, we must remember that every individual, regardless of who they are, has desires and rights, just like us, to be happy and to have their needs met. We must be aware of this, raise our children with this awareness and understanding, and set an example for them.
Based on all this, what is the source of the anxiety, stress, fear, and worry we experience? Is it othering those around us? Is it the constant need to prove ourselves the best and to be accepted/loved? Is it the unattainable goals and expectations we constantly raise and strive to reach in order to be loved? We can guide our lives by evaluating these things.
Similarly, what are we teaching our children? How are we shaping their lives? By constantly setting ruthless expectations? By making them feel unloved or excluded if they don't meet our expectations? By threatening them with the idea that they won't be accepted? By implying that love is conditional?
Along with all this, it is very important to know that in order to guide others, especially our children, correctly, we must first evaluate and guide ourselves correctly. If we can evaluate ourselves, become aware of our needs, analyze our feelings and emotions without blaming ourselves or others, and guide ourselves in accordance with this awareness, and if we can be open to continuous development; then we can pass this on to future generations. We can raise them to be aware of themselves and the society they live in.
(Published on June 10, 2019 on the Power of Development Blogspot)
High expectations and excessive ambition are triggers for stress and anxiety. We experience disappointment when we fail to meet our expectations. There are situations that are within our reach and situations that are not. Unrealistic expectations and the effort to achieve them will ultimately lead to disappointment, frustration, and collapse. Dissatisfaction, thoughts like "more is always better, I must have more than everyone else, I must be the best," inevitably result in stress, anxiety, and disappointment.
Many people feel the need to constantly succeed and prove themselves to others. This requires a continuous struggle. In this situation, when a person feels that someone else has achieved greater success than them, they may perceive themselves as less acceptable and less lovable. An individual who perceives themselves as weaker may try to feel stronger by belittling or making others feel inferior.
Since it's impossible to always be the best, this can lead to a vicious cycle of stress, anxiety, and disappointment. Feeling fragmented and constantly racing against time but never quite catching up can be a sign that stress is becoming chronic.
In fact, constantly striving to prove oneself while simultaneously experiencing a combination of stress, anxiety, and disappointment can be considered a paradox. However, humans are social beings, and everyone needs others to achieve self-realization. Even the highest-level leader needs others to survive. Regardless of our position, the food we eat, the water we drink, and the services we receive all involve the labor of thousands of people. In this context, the importance of being aware of what we do, our goals, and the flow of our lives becomes clear.
Feeling uncomfortable with what others possess may stem from focusing more on factors like financial status or career than on criteria such as knowledge, experience, or human values. This can lead to excessive ambition and a constant feeling of being in a state of struggle.
However, constantly othering others by saying "me" and "them" will lead to feelings of loneliness. Nevertheless, we must remember that every individual, regardless of who they are, has desires and rights, just like us, to be happy and to have their needs met. We must be aware of this, raise our children with this awareness and understanding, and set an example for them.
Based on all this, what is the source of the anxiety, stress, fear, and worry we experience? Is it othering those around us? Is it the constant need to prove ourselves the best and to be accepted/loved? Is it the unattainable goals and expectations we constantly raise and strive to reach in order to be loved? We can guide our lives by evaluating these things.
Similarly, what are we teaching our children? How are we shaping their lives? By constantly setting ruthless expectations? By making them feel unloved or excluded if they don't meet our expectations? By threatening them with the idea that they won't be accepted? By implying that love is conditional?
Along with all this, it is very important to know that in order to guide others, especially our children, correctly, we must first evaluate and guide ourselves correctly. If we can evaluate ourselves, become aware of our needs, analyze our feelings and emotions without blaming ourselves or others, and guide ourselves in accordance with this awareness, and if we can be open to continuous development; then we can pass this on to future generations. We can raise them to be aware of themselves and the society they live in.
(Published on June 10, 2019 on the Power of Development Blogspot)