🌱 Unpacking anxiety (British edition 🇬🇧)

Greetings from Greece 🇬🇷

After a week in London, we just got to Athens for a wedding (then off to Naxos and Santorini). 

Here are your compressed insights in 3 minutes. 

😨 Fear & Anxiety 

It’s human nature to protect ourselves from threats. 

Fear is the emotional response to an immediate threat. 
Anxiety is the anticipation of a future threat. 

But here’s the thing, we get worked up (anxious) about things that are not *actually* threats. 

For example, a few days before my trip, I felt anxiety brewing like a hot kettle of tea. 

But then I asked myself (in a British accent), “What is this future ‘threat’ of which I am anticipating?”

At that moment, it struck me. 💡

I was wasting precious energy worrying about “threats” that were NOT threats at all. 

Sure, maybe I’d forget to pack something or not have a fully researched and optimized trip. But these are not “threats” at all! I’d still go on a dope trip. This realization immediately put me at ease. And shifted my anxiety into appreciation. (What a trade.) 

Next time you get worked up, consider this. 

1. It’s part of our DNA to protect ourselves from threats…So this is normal. 

2. However, it’s worth considering if these are really “threats” or just feelings of slight overwhelm. (Chances are it’s the latter) 

🔍 Normal Is an Illusion

I heard a British man in a cafe say this phrase I fancied:

Therefore, what’s perceived as “normal” to some can be misleading and exhausting to others. 

Normal is an illusion.

🗓️ The “Holiday Test”

I considered not taking my laptop and unplugging for 2 weeks. 

But reconsidered after this realization. 

Much of what I do doesn’t feel like work. I love learning, writing, connecting with people, and sharing stuff on the internet. 

While there’s a case to be made about unplugging and taking breaks. There’s another case to be made about finding work we don’t want to take breaks from. (At least not that often.)

Everyone is different. 

Therefore it’s the duty of the individual to test what works best for them. 

Flys should use thing wings. Spiders should use their webs. 

But a fly trying to spin webs will need many holiday breaks to avoid burnout. 

What is normal to the spider is chaos to the fly. 

Don’t be the fly trying to live a spider’s life. 

Cheerio, 
Mitchell aka “Spider-Man” 🕸️

Ps. I got you a postcard from London