Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I The Sunday Guardian I February 16, 2014

Anxiety is a kind of distress, sometimes about the sad memories of what you lost in the past and at other times about uncertainties regarding the future. Anxiety is a common phenomenon, a majority of men and women live in a state of anxiety.

Anxiety is like self-killing. In all cases of anxiety, there is no external agent that is making you live in this state. It is you yourself who has developed this killer habit.

There are some problems that are inflicted by the external world; it may be beyond your capacity to get rid of these problems. However, as far as anxiety is concerned, it is a self-created problem. When it is a case of self-created problem, it means that the solution lies in your hand rather than in the hands of others.

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For example, if you are sad about a loss you incurred in the past, you can easily address your mind by saying that what you lost is not returnable. So, you can gain nothing by thinking about that which cannot come back. And, if it is about the future that you are worrying, you can address your mind by saying, "Why do I bother about that which has not yet come? May be, it will never happen at all."

Problems are of three kind. If a problem is related to the present, you can solve it through wise planning. If the problem is related to the past, then there is always a simple solution: forget it, and the problem will instantly disappear. If the problem is regarding the future, then it is not a problem at all, it is simply a baseless fear.

In other words, it has no existence at all. If something is non-existent, how can it create a problem for you?

Discover the genesis of anxiety and you will readily be able to get rid of it.