It doesn’t matter what subject we’re discussing when it comes to the human mind; every conversation must start with an understanding of how anxiety affects the mind and alters our personalities and behaviors in an instant. Unfortunately, many people live in an anxious state for their entire lives.
There are several factors contributing to this. One fundamental factor is genetics—some of our anxiety responses are inherited. You can observe this in young children; even in infancy, some are more prone to anxiety than others, regardless of the love and nurturing they receive. A child’s predisposition to anxiety is shaped by their physical wiring, inherited from their parents.
Moreover, anxiety is pervasive in the world around us. From a very early age, we are exposed to anxious environments and anxious people. Societal structures themselves often induce anxiety. Moving away from a natural, grounded way of living can be anxiety-inducing in the long run, even if we can’t articulate why.
Then there are the childhood experiences—moments where we felt neglected or abandoned, whether those feelings were real or perceived. These emotional experiences are etched into our minds and shape our belief systems. Our beliefs, in turn, control our thoughts, and our thoughts and feelings are intertwined, perpetually influencing one another. A feeling triggers a thought, which invokes another feeling, creating an ongoing cycle.
Of course, there are also what I call “phenomenon thoughts”—thoughts that seemingly appear without reason. While every thought is caused by something, sometimes they feel as if they’ve floated in from the collective consciousness, sparked by something as simple as overhearing a stranger’s conversation. It’s valuable to observe this mechanical process of the mind, recognizing that it often acts as an echo chamber, bouncing thoughts around from the moment we’re born until we die.
Understanding our thought processes is essential. We don’t need to dive deeply into every thought pattern, but we should at least be mindful of how thoughts develop and how they link together. More importantly, we must hold ourselves accountable for our negative thought patterns, even though they can be difficult to recognize when we’re lost within them. Negative thinking often becomes habitual, driven by years of anxiety and reinforced by past traumas and blows to our self-esteem.
Anxiety often keeps us locked in cycles of obsessive thinking. We may bounce rapidly between fight-or-flight responses and moments of calm, training our nervous system to react repeatedly. The more trauma we’ve experienced, the easier it becomes to trigger those anxious feelings, even when they’re imagined.
No one escapes this entirely—none of us had perfect childhoods. Even seemingly idyllic upbringings carry neuroses passed down from one generation to the next. Our children will inevitably absorb both our strengths and our weaknesses, no matter how much we try to shield them from our flaws.
As the newest generation, we have an opportunity to evolve beyond the collective mistakes of the past. Evolution itself pushes for improved thinking because it’s crucial for human survival. If we think clearly and positively, we are less likely to wage war or support systems that do. Real change requires more than just thinking about change—it requires embodying it. We must work on ourselves rather than focusing on changing others.
To foster this personal evolution, we need to develop awareness of our thoughts and behaviors. Meditation helps us cultivate a new relationship with our thoughts, allowing for non-attachment. One crucial aspect of thought control is the ability to question whether a thought truly serves us or if it’s just recurring baggage that keeps us stuck. Liberating the mind from these repetitive, unhelpful thoughts is key to finding deeper happiness and connection.