On the Anatomy of Anxiety

Reading this is like attending therapy with a decent, if not excellent, therapist. Much of it is the same advice you find everywhere — sleep enough, eat well, exercise, build solid friendships — but what I found most meaningful was her distinction between “false anxiety,” which is just your body signaling an immediate need (“Feed me!” “I’m so tired, let me sleep!”), and “true anxiety,” which becomes apparent once the everyday needs are met. True anxiety is the north star that tells you what you should be doing with your life, and if you ignore it, it shows up physiologically. Mine, I think, is telling me to run from human society, hole up in a forest, and simply read and write whatever I want. Unfortunately, I have bills to pay.