What is anxiety?

In Buddhist terms, I limit the definition to self-created stress and worry, over conditions that have occurred, or are projected to occur in the future. Almost always, our fears never turn out to be even close to what reality brings. Anxiety is 100% creation of conditions INSIDE of us, projected to the outside world. (Sometimes our anxiety is self serving, and actually creates the conditions needed for our fears to come true. But that is another post).

The fear, of say, Nuclear war would be a big one.

Trouble is, most of fears and worries are much, much smaller than that. Will I be able to pay the rent? Why did that person say that, and what exactly did they mean by it? (And don't get me started on e-mail. Talk about dysfunctional communication that fosters multiple interpretation Yikes).

All of this increases our internal dialog, which clouds our perceptions, and moods. The more internal dialog, the more worry. The more worry, more dialog until it reaches a crescendo of a nervous breakdown, or hopefully burns itself out, or we finally say ENOUGH! This is getting me no where.

STOP. The dialog, stop the anxiety. Let it flow naturally. Stop obsessive planning, evaluating. Stop the need for control of what other people do, or say.

My trouble is: as I stop the dialog, then the monkey thinks he can come in and fix it, with the available space. Funny how open space invites us to FILL IT UP. Nature abhors a vacuum, and the mind really doesn't like it.

Peace of mind comes from being aware of what's here. Right now.