Anxiety and Existentialism

That’s a big word, existentialism, in a lot of ways. But it’s really very simple. It’s just saying that we have free will, we make our own choices, and we are responsible for them and how we choose to live our lives. And a lot of people find that type of statement makes them feel extremely anxious.

So, what can we do about it? We have to do something called ‘peeling the existential onion’. We have to peel away, layer by layer, all those defences that stop us facing into our existential reality. For some people, those layers may be depression, addiction, disordered eating, but for many people, it shows up as anxiety.

Because if you peel the onion, then you have to face some home truths: ultimately, I am alone, I will die, I will struggle, I will experience painful things, I will have to take responsibility for my actions and give my life meaning...

And that’s a lot to deal with, and for many people they don’t want to face that anxiety-provoking uncertainty. But if your anxiety is starting to impact your day-to-life then the layers aren’t working anyway, so why not give peeling the onion a try? And actually, it’s probably not the uncertainty that is the issue; it’s the insecurity that it provokes.

The work is moving beyond that insecurity to a place where you can tolerate the uncertainty and the duality of it: yes, I will die, but I am alive now; I have to take responsibility for my actions, but that means I can make choices; and, I will suffer, but here, today, I feel strong and well.

As with any peeling onion-related task, there will probably be tears along the way. But at the end of it, if you can embrace the existential uncertainty of your life you can find ‘existential joy’1. Within that uncertainty there is opportunity. Feeling anxiety means you are alive; it is an energy that can give you direction and purpose.

So go on, start trying to peel the existential onion today, and harness your anxiety as a tool for growth and development.

1 Popovic, N. (2002). Existential anxiety and existential joy. Practical Philosophy, 5(2), 32-39.