You don’t need me to tell you that life can be pretty bleak sometimes.
All the great philosophers from Cicero and Buddha to Louis CK have nailed it: life is suffering.
Ironically, it seems that the reason that life is suffering is to keep us alive.
There’s a little old nut-shaped part of your brain called the ‘amygdala’ that controls how you feel about stuff.
The amygdala is that miserable, mean, pessimist we all have inside us.
It’s our own little Eeyore living in our heads, seeing the bad side of everything, scared at every turn; certain that taking it will turn out for the worst.
It’s the reason that we have a negativity bias, and tend to see things as threats.
But guess what?
It’s also the source of our compassion and empathy.
That’s why the best way to stop your anxiety and depression is to help someone else with their problem — no matter how large or small.
You distract your Eeyore by helping other people with theirs.
It works every time.
