Introduction: Why “Think Positive” Makes It Heavier Climate change. An opaque career path. A relationship with no clear way through. When difficulty arrives, the advice follows: stay hopeful, think positive, keep your chin up. The intentions behind the words are…
Introduction: Why More Safety Produces More Anxiety All health markers within range. Insurance covering every contingency. Surveillance cameras on every block. By measurable standards, the current environment is safer than any previous era. And yet the time spent thinking about…
Introduction: The Real Source of the “Five-Year Plan” Anxiety Early in a career, it was easy to talk about where you’d be in five years. Somewhere along the way, that certainty quietly disappeared. Looking out from the middle of a…
Introduction: Why “Not Knowing” Is So Exhausting Waiting for an announcement. Standing at a career crossroads. Reading the news without being able to identify what, exactly, is producing the unease. A formless anxiety spreads through the chest without a clear…
Introduction: Not Knowing What Matters Anymore There is a particular experience that has become more common in times of rapid change. Not a crisis, exactly — more a quiet disorientation. I’m not sure what I care about anymore. This is…