Are We Oversold On Anxiety?

Spiked-online is a blog that carries some thoughtful articles. One, quoted in the New York Times, comes from Frank Furedi, who believes many of us are assailed by various fears that are inflated by different groups of anxiety-mongers. Every major news event is transformed by the media, politicians, businesses, or environmentalists into looming risks to our safety and well-being. Our initial anxiety becomes an illogical fear that death is imminent unless we respond in some way (usually to the benefit of the monger, e.g. buy more newspapers, vote against x, buy my product, write to your politician, and so on).

To counter these pressures we have to be informed about the real risk of an event affecting us, personally. As Furedi says: “Anxieties about uncertainty become magnified and overwhelm us when we regard ourselves as essentially vulnerable.” He goes on: “Whether or not we are aware of the choices confronting us depends upon whether we regard ourselves as defined by our vulnerability or by our capacity to be resilient.” In other words, it’s up to each of us to handle the news in our own way. Develop some sales-resistance.

Unlike the risks from bird flu, earthquake, or cell phones, it’s an undisputed fact that we’ll all die one day. Why not make that day as far off as possible, by adapting a healthy lifestyle – no need to tell you where to look for advice – and try to put the other risks into proper perspective?