Breaking Philosophy & Psycholog
- Daniel Chechick
- Jan 28
- 5 min read

or you can just search on your amazon (:
Anxiety
Breaking Psychology
Anxiety is a term you might have heard many times, but what
does it actually mean? From a therapist’s perspective, anxiety is a
feeling of worry, nervousness, or fear about something that might
happen in the future. It’s a natural response to stress, but when
anxiety becomes too much, it can start to affect your daily life in
ways that are hard to manage.
What Is Anxiety?
Imagine you’re walking through a forest, and suddenly you hear a
loud rustling in the bushes. Your heart starts to race, your muscles
tense up, and you feel like you need to run away or be on guard.
This reaction is your body’s way of preparing you for danger.
This is similar to anxiety—it’s your mind and body’s way of
preparing you for something that it thinks might be harmful or
stressful.
However, in modern life, we aren’t always facing physical dangers
like wild animals. But our bodies can still react as if we are. For
example, you might feel anxious before a big test, a job interview,
or even just thinking about what could go wrong in the future.
Anxiety is our body’s alarm system, but sometimes it goes off
even when there’s no real danger. When this happens frequently
or intensely, it can become a problem.
Real-Life Analogy: The False Alarm
Think of anxiety like a smoke alarm in your house. The smoke
alarm is there to protect you, warning you if there’s a fire. But
imagine if the alarm goes off every time you make toast or take a
hot shower, even when there’s no actual fire. It would be stressful,
annoying, and would probably make you feel on edge all the
time. This is similar to what happens with anxiety. The alarm
(your anxiety) is trying to protect you, but sometimes it goes off
when there’s no real danger.
Just like with a smoke alarm, the goal isn’t to get rid of the alarm
completely—it’s important for safety. The goal is to make sure it
only goes off when it really needs to, and that’s where therapy can
help.
How Anxiety Affects People’s Lives
When anxiety is mild, it can actually be helpful. A little bit of
anxiety can motivate you to study for a test or prepare well for a
presentation. But when anxiety becomes too strong or happens
too often, it can interfere with your life in significant ways.
For instance, someone with severe anxiety might find it hard to
focus at work or school because their mind is always racing with
worry. They might avoid social situations because they’re afraid of
being judged or embarrassed. Anxiety can also cause physical
symptoms like headaches, stomachaches, or a racing heart. Over
time, these effects can lead to bigger issues, such as trouble
sleeping, difficulty in relationships, or even depression.
In some cases, anxiety can lead to what’s known as a “panic
attack,” which is when the feelings of fear become overwhelming
and cause physical symptoms like sweating, shaking, or feeling
like you can’t breathe. Panic attacks can be very scary, and the
fear of having another one can create even more anxiety.
Managing Anxiety
The good news is that anxiety is treatable. Therapists often use a
combination of techniques to help people manage their anxiety.
One common method is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
(CBT), where the therapist works with the person to change the
way they think about and react to situations that cause anxiety.
Relaxation techniques, like deep breathing and mindfulness, can
also help calm the body’s alarm system.
For some people, medication prescribed by a doctor can also be
helpful in reducing anxiety symptoms. The key is to find the right
combination of treatments that work for the individual.
In summary, Anxiety is like a smoke alarm that’s trying to protect
you, but sometimes it goes off too often or too loudly. While it’s
a normal part of life, when anxiety becomes overwhelming, it can
affect your ability to live your life to the fullest. Understanding
anxiety and learning how to manage it with the help of a therapist
can help you regain control and reduce its impact on your daily
life.
Agnosticism
Breaking Philosophy
“Have you ever noticed how 'What the hell'
is always the right decision to make?”
Terry Johnson
Agnosticism is the belief that we cannot know for certain whether a higher power, like a god or gods, exists or not. It's like being unsure about whether aliens are living on distant planets. Some people believe in aliens, some don't, and some just say, "I don't know because I haven't seen enough evidence either way."
Imagine you're at a carnival, and there's a game where you have to guess how many jellybeans are in a jar. You might not be able to see inside the jar, and you don't have any information about how big the jar is or how many jelly beans were put in there.
Agnosticism is a bit like saying, "I don't know how many jellybeans are in the jar because I don't have enough information to make a confident guess." In daily life, agnosticism is when people admit that they don't have all the answers about things that can't be proven or seen. It's like when you wonder if ghosts are real or if there's life on other planets. Some people might believe in these things, some might not, and agnostics would say, "I can't say for sure because there's not enough evidence to prove or disprove it."
Agnosticism is not the same as atheism. Atheists don't believe in any gods, while agnostics don't claim to know for sure either way. It's as if you were trying to find out if a secret message was hidden in a book. An atheist might say, "I'm pretty sure there's no secret message in this book." An agnostic, on the other hand, would say, "I can't be certain if there's a secret message in the book because I haven't read the whole thing yet."
Being agnostic is about being open to possibilities and admitting that some things are just beyond our understanding. It's like looking at a big, mysterious box. You don't know what's inside, and you're not making any guesses until you have more information. Agnostics might say, "I don't know what's in the box, and I don't want to jump to conclusions without more evidence."
So, being agnostic means being honest about what you don't know and being open to learning more while respecting different viewpoints. It's like being at a crossroads and saying, "I'm not sure which path to take yet, but I'm willing to explore and discover."
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