Why we worry and what to do about it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Anxiety does not leave many of us, and stress becomes chronic … How did it happen that the mechanism that should help to survive began to interfere with life?

Let's pretend for a moment that you are a giraffe. You live in the vast expanses of the African savannah. Your neck is about two meters long. Periodically, you notice a group of people passing by and taking pictures of you.

But it's not just a long neck and lack of a camera that sets you apart from humans. Probably the biggest difference is that every decision you make has immediate benefits.

When you are hungry, you go and eat the leaves from the trees. When a storm comes, you seek shelter under the branches. When you see a lion attacking your friends, you run away.

Every day, most of your giraffe decisions are what to eat? where to sleep? how not to get caught by predators? - immediately affect your life. The life of a giraffe takes place in an immediate result environment. This is a present-day life.

Deferred result environment

Now let's swap places with the giraffe. You are the person who took a vacation and went on a safari. Unlike a giraffe, a person lives in a delayed result environment.

Most of the decisions you make now will not result in immediate benefits. If you do a good job today, you will be paid in a few weeks. If you save money, you will have enough to pay your taxes. Many aspects of modern society are built on gaining sometime in the future.

And this is the root of all evil. The giraffe is concerned only with momentary problems (rescue from lions or storms), and many of the problems that worry people are in the future.

For example, while you are shaking on bumps in the African savannah, you might think:

Safari is a lot of fun. It would be cool to work as a ranger in this park and see giraffes every day. By the way, about work. Maybe it's time for me to change it? Do I really like what I do?

Unfortunately, the delayed outcome environment leads us to chronic stress and anxiety.

Evolution of the human brain

The human brain developed to its present state while the human was in the immediate result environment.

Homo sapiens appeared about 200,000 years ago. The brains of the first humans of this species were almost identical to ours. In particular, the neocortex - the newest part of the brain responsible for higher mental functions like speech - was practically the same size as ours.

Compared to the age of the brain, modern society was formed quite recently. And more recently - about 500 years ago or something like that - our society has moved to a postponed outcome environment.

The rate of change is increasing exponentially compared to prehistoric times. Over the past 100 years, we have seen the heyday of the era of cars, airplanes, televisions, personal computers, and the Internet.

Almost everything that surrounds you in the modern world has been invented over the past several hundred or even decades.

A lot has happened in a century. And from the point of view of evolution, 100 years is nothing, a flash, one instant. The human brain has been in the same environment (immediate result) for hundreds of thousands of years, and in the blink of an eye it changes. Our brains are geared towards immediate results. And that's the whole problem.

Evolution of anxiety

The mismatch between our old brain and our new environment has a big impact on chronic stress and anxiety.

Thousands of years ago, when people lived in an immediate outcome environment, stress and anxiety were helpful because they helped initiate action in the face of danger or some immediate problem. For example:

• A lion appeared on the plain → you are stressed → you run away → the stress goes away.
• A storm is coming → you worry and wonder where to find shelter → you find shelter → stress goes away.
• You haven't drunk today → you feel thirsty and stressed → you find water → stress goes away.

This is how your brain used stress, anxiety, and excitement. Worry was an emotion that protected people in an immediate environment. It helped solve short-term, pressing problems. There was no such thing as chronic stress because there were no chronic problems in the immediate result environment.

Wild animals rarely experience chronic stress.

The deer can get scared by loud noise and run through the forest. But as soon as the threat is over, the deer will immediately calm down and begin to chew the grass. He will not reflect on this danger all day, as many people do.

Professor Mark Leary of Duke University

When you live in an immediate outcome environment, you only worry about acute stressors. When the danger is over, you immediately calm down.

We are faced with many challenges today. Will I have enough money to pay my taxes next month? Will I be able to climb the career ladder or will I be stuck in my current position? Can I fix my broken relationship?

Problems in a deferred result environment can rarely be resolved right now.

What to do about it

The main cause of concern in the delayed outcome environment is constant uncertainty. There is no guarantee that good grades in school will help you find a high-paying job, that your investment will pay off in the future, that when you go out on a date, you will find love. Living in an environment of a delayed result means not knowing what will happen next.

So what can you do? How can you thrive in a delayed outcome environment that creates so much stress and anxiety?

The first thing to do is assess your prospects.

• You may not know exactly how much money you will receive when you retire, but you can start saving a certain amount each month and roughly calculate how much will accumulate by the age of 55-60.
• You can't predict whether you will succeed in finding love, but you can keep track of how often you meet new people.

Doing so will allow you to partially take control of the situation into your own hands. This will not solve all your problems, but it will help you get out of the tightness of emotions and uncertainty.

One of the most significant differences between immediate and delayed environments is the speed of feedback. Animals quickly receive a response to their actions. Without assessing your prospects, you do not get such an answer.

Make an action plan, measure your achievements in the short and long term. All this will help you to reduce the degree of uncertainty a little.

Transfer your anxiety

A second way to deal with stress is to transfer the anxiety from the future to the present and solve problems as they arise.

• Instead of worrying about the length of your life, go for a walk every day.
• Instead of worrying about your child going to university, make sure that he devotes enough time to study.
• Instead of worrying about losing weight before your wedding day, choose which healthy, low-calorie meal to cook for lunch.

The right strategy gives you the confidence that you are on the right path. Knowing this, you get an immediate answer and at the same time solve future problems.

Here are some examples:

Work

You publish one article, you get money, the standard of living rises a little. At the same time, you realize that the more you write, the more experience you get. Going forward, you’ll write a book, make a lot of money, and make your life even better. By focusing on the present moment - writing today's article - you get an immediate response while improving your prospects at the same time.

Sport

Working out in the gym is fun, especially if you spend all day at the computer. Exercise and stretching are pleasant to the body, and after training you feel a surge of strength, freshness and vigor - all this is an immediate result. At the same time, you improve your health and increase your chances of living longer. This is a long term perspective.

Reading

You enjoy knowing the world, learn from someone else's experience. This is an immediate result. And at the same time, you develop as a person and broaden your horizons. This is a long term perspective.

Our brains are not adapted for the delayed result environment, but as you can see, it can be dealt with. By assessing your prospects and shifting your attention to the current moment, you can get rid of the anxiety and stress that torment not only you, but the entire modern society.