So, there is anxiety again, showing up uninvited like that one friend who always crashes the party and eats all the snacks. And we know the grotesque feeling… heart racing, mind spinning, soul leaving body, palpitations, that nagging feeling like you have forgotten something major (like leaving the stove on or submitting that important report or sending that message in an official group), exploding scary ‘What ifs’ and all our little world coming to an end! (which proves to be a break later) Sound familiar? Of course, it does. Yeah, that’s anxiety, the monster that never seems to take a day off. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you do, or how much you think you’ve got it all together—this creature finds a way to sneak in, sit on your chest, and make itself right at home.
But why is this happening? Why are we all secretly freaking out even when nothing is technically wrong? Technically!
We live in an age of endless convenience—groceries delivered in an hour, information at your fingertips, video calls with people halfway across the globe. Yet, despite all the tech and luxury, our minds are running like hamsters on a wheel, spinning scenarios that would make Hollywood’s best thriller writers jealous. Or maybe it is as a consequence of it!
Wait, Are We Addicted to Stress?
Hear me out. Our ancestors used to have a legitimate reason to freak out—I assume or on account of stories I have heard from my elders. Those days are long gone, but our brains haven’t quite caught up. We’re hardwired to scan for danger, even when there’s none to be found. We are stressing over unread emails, messy kitchens, or—heaven forbid—the dreaded group chat notifications.
Isn’t it ironic? We’re no longer battling ghosts and wild animals, but we are still caught in a constant state of alert. And to make it worse, it is almost as if we have grown fond of it. Because now we also have the abstract ones-things unheard of or which for now is not a trouble for us! (Maybe we have good foresight)
The Productivity Trap: Doing More, Feeling Less
Let us talk about hustle culture for a second. We are bombarded with messages about being more productive, waking up at 5 AM to do yoga, meal prep, meditate, and plan our week—all before breakfast. Sounds exhausting, right? That is because it is. We have made it this way…anyone who is not booked and busy is apparently missing out.
But being constantly ‘on’ doesn’t equate to being fulfilled. We have blurred the lines between doing and being, and it’s no wonder we are burning out faster than you can say “self-care Sunday.” Productivity is great, but when it’s driven by a fear of not doing enough, it becomes just another form of anxiety in disguise.
The Myth of the Perfect Life
Social media has a lot to answer for. Sure, it’s fun to peek into other people’s lives, but let us be real—it’s all a pretence. And why just social media. Looking into other people’s lives. You see someone’s beach vacation, and suddenly your weekend Netflix binge feels like a major life fail. And don’t even get me started on those influencers with their perfectly curated feeds—are they even real or people you have been comparing your life to?
The truth is, nobody posts their bad days, their awkward moments, or the fact that they, too, probably burnt their toast this morning. Yet, we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel. No wonder our anxiety levels are through the roof! We’re chasing an illusion of perfection that doesn’t exist outside of a well-lit Instagram square.
Anxiety doesn’t care if you’re successful, or if your life looks perfect on paper. It finds its way in through the cracks, no matter how hard you try to patch them. It is the monster under the bed, except this one follows you everywhere—into meetings, relationships, and even your sleep. And no, there is no magic sword or silver bullet to slay it.
No Easy Escape
We would all love a solution, wouldn’t we? A way to banish the beast once and for all. But I feel we can try to distract ourselves, drown it out, or even ignore it, but anxiety is like that persistent villain in every horror movie—it just keeps coming back, often when you least expect it.
The self-help books, the meditation apps, the “you’ve got this” pep talks—they’re all well-meaning, but sometimes they just don’t cut it. You can do all the “right” things, follow all the advice, and still find yourself in the same battle, day after day. And it’s exhausting. It’s the kind of tiredness that sleep doesn’t fix, a weariness that settles into your bones.
Living with the Beast
So, what do you do when you can’t slay the monster? You live with it. Not in a cheerful, “everything’s fine” kind of way, but in a raw, honest acknowledgment that this is just part of the deal. It’s messy, it’s imperfect, and it’s real. Some days, you manage to keep the monster at bay. Other days, it wins. And that’s okay, too.
There’s no neat resolution, no grand finale where the hero triumphs and anxiety slinks away defeated. Instead, it’s a constant negotiation—a truce, if you will, where you learn to coexist with the chaos. You learn to recognize the monster’s tricks, to expect its visit, and maybe, just maybe, to not let it completely derail you every single time.
But let us not pretend that is easy. It’s not. There are moments when anxiety feels all-consuming, when its grip tightens and it feels like there’s no escape. And in those moments, all the motivational quotes in the world can’t reach you. You’re in it, battling a monster that refuses to let go.
Let me conclude
Sometimes, it’s just about making it through the next moment, the next breath, the next day. It’s about acknowledging that the monster is real, that it’s here, and that it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. And maybe, just maybe, that’s enough.
We all want to hear that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, that we’ll eventually find a way out of this maze. But sometimes, the best we can do is keep moving, keep fighting, and keep living, even with the monster by our side. No heroic ending, no dramatic escape—just the messy, imperfect, and very human journey of learning to live with the things we can’t control.
(Author is writer from Srinagar and can be reached at: [email protected])
