Mastery: It's Okay To Get Anxious

Issue No. 50 | December 11th, 2023 | Read Time: 3 Minutes

Growing up I used to be an anxious train wreck.

I would get anxious over the smallest things. Going to school, talking to teachers, doing homework, even talking to my own friends.

I was afraid of not being 'cool enough' or being viewed as some outcast.

And it was because of this that I fell in love with Stoicism about two years ago.

I heard how Stoicism was a type of philosophy that pretty much taught you how to be 'macho' and emotionless in the best ways possible.

And honestly, studying Stoicism really did help quell my anxiety.

But not entirely.

And so I kept devouring books on Stoicism in search of this last piece of advice that would help me eliminate anxiety forever.

And finally, I found it.

Well, sort of...

In the book Attic Nights by grammarian Aulus Gellius, he tells the story of his journey sailing through the Ionian sea.

At one point Aulus and his crewmates hit a storm and were met with violent waters and powerful winds ready to overwhelm their ship at any moment.

But during the chaos of the crew manning the decks and securing the sails, Aulus looked over to a man who was a famous Stoic philosopher to see what his reaction would be to the turmoil around him. 

Because at the time Stoics were known for their mental calmness and their excessive preaching of courage in dire moments. So this was the perfect opportunity to see how a Stoic man would react to imminent danger.

And to Aulus' surprise, the man was ghastly pale and not uttering a single word. He wasn't crying out like the men around him but had the face of a man who feared what was to come.

But when the sky cleared and the sea grew calm, Aulus decided to approach the Stoic man and ask him why he was afraid during the storm.

He responded by pulling out the fifth book of the Discourses of the Stoic philospher Epictetus—the first four books are the only ones that remain today—and shared this excerpt...

"Therefore when some terrifying sound, either from heaven or from a falling building or as a sudden announcement of some danger, even the mind of a wise man must necessarily be disturbed, must shrink and feel alarm, not from a preconceived idea of any danger, but from certain swift and unexpected attacks which forestall the power of the mind and of reason"

Meaning, it's normal to get anxious. It's normal to be scared in those first few moments of chaos. 

What makes a Stoic isn't their ability to never be anxious. It's their ability to recognize they're anxious and retain their mental strength by grounding themselves to reality.

Once I came across this story I finally realized there was no final piece to eliminating anxiety forever. 

That it's okay to get anxious in moments of turmoil.

So don't think you're weak because you get scared or stressed about something. 

If anything, it makes you stronger because it gives you something to overcome.

Until next time,Isaiah Taylor

Dive Deeper

What I'm Currently Reading - I'm now reading Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill. A Book long overdue on my To Be Read List.

• If you'd like to see my book notes pertaining to this book or any others I have previously read, then check out my websiteisaiahctaylor.comto view my entire library of notes and summaries.

Quote Of The Week

• "It is said that the darkest hour of the night comes just before the dawn." — Thomas Fuller