LIFE-ENHANCING ANXIETY

Psychologist Schneider looks at how some kinds of anxiety can yield valuable insights.

At a moment in which most self-help authors, as well as many pharmaceutical companies, seem to consider all forms of anxiety to be unhealthy, the author takes a divergent view that posits that some forms are, in fact, useful. In these pages, he collects some previously published pieces (from Tikkun Magazine, Aeon, and other venues) on anxiety in general and on his specific, innovative concept of “life-enhancing anxiety.” He characterizes anxiety as a double-edged sword (“both an impediment to and potentially a signal of human flourishing”), and he recounts many of his personal reflections on the subject; specifically, he describes how he learned, during a breakthrough in therapy, the art of staying physically present during periods of panic and terror. He especially noted the feeling of inner freedom that can result from such mindfulness, which he says “is emphatically among the most valuable and enduring gifts one can possess.” Through reminiscences, numerous case studies, and a wide range of other references—from the works of 19th-century philosopher Søren Kierkegaard to the 2021 Netflix film Don’t Look Up—he explains how enhanced awareness can yield the “awe and wonder” that characterize life-enhancing anxiety. Schneider’s combination of erudition and readability easily overcomes the inherently uneven nature of any collection of previously published pieces, which rarely reads like a cohesive narrative. His central concept—that a carefully cultivated anxiety can lead to “greater attention to in-depth, intimate experience”—seems counterintuitive at first, but he ultimately develops it in an engaging way. Readers grappling with standard concepts of anxiety will find plenty of food for thought in Schneider’s vision. 

A challenging and thoughtful work on the uses of anxiety.