The Quarrelsome Quartet: Fear, Stress, Anxiety, and Depression

By Bentley Murdock

What Are They (Really) and How in the World Do We Navigate Them?

Some of the most prevalent “Dis-Ease” symptoms in today’s world (on top of the smattering of physical maladies burdening the masses) are within the more cryptically elusive mental and emotional areas of unrest. At the top of a long list, we’ll always find varying degrees and unique combinations within the same quartet: Worrisome Fear, Excessive Stress, Polarized Anxiety, and Chronic Depression.

Each one of these is nothing more than a verb, very much in-motion and at work within each of us, communicating the criticality of its existence and why we should lean in with more than just an ear of validation. Our bodies, hearts, guts, and minds all speak boldly and communicate powerfully with surprising efficiency and clarity. Yet how often do we actually stop and listen? Let’s break down each of these into more in-depth and more digestible terms. Worrisome Fear is “the primarily unnecessary (and often unavoidable) preoccupation with all the worst-case-scenarios that have an astronomical probability of never happening at all.” The short answer is this: Thoughts Become Things. Universal law teaches us (all day long) that we will continue to receive only those things, people, and experiences that are each in harmony with our predominant thoughts. Hence, the more we focus on fear and worry, the more experiences are going to show up about which we’ll be choosing (again) to worry, and the cycle continues.

We have to approach it like a diet within the appetite of the mind because old habits die so hard (or not at all, for those who are a bit too attached to let go). If we continue only observing and assessing what shows up, then we’ll never find out what could have potentially been within our power to attract into our lives. So begin obsessing over all the ideal, best-case scenarios you can think of, and replay those mental video-clips as frequently as you’re able. In time, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with what materializes— but only if you’re not simultaneously allowing toxic fear and worry pollution to continue sneaking in through the back door.

Excessive Stress Perception is “the inevitable weight and pressure placed upon us by ourselves and others for thousands of various reasons, all to be perceived through numerous lenses to determine whether or not it’s beneficial or detrimental.” (Run-on sentence? Why, yes! I do! Thank you for noticing!) In other words, stress becomes what we think it is, and it does exactly what we think it will.

The creative imagination within the human mind is infinitely powerful, so use yours to your benefit, not to your detriment. For some, stress invigorates and drives them to personal victory (defying all odds), while others are entirely broken underneath similar stressors and die at a young age of what seemed like something as simple as stage-fright.

Consider this applicable fact: every finely tuned musical instrument (anywhere in the world) is under constant and immense stress and pressure every second it performs. This is also the only obvious reason why collective harmony can be the product of the combined stressinduced efforts of all instruments working tirelessly in concert with one another (The musicians do help a little, too.) Keep that in mind when life starts to feel a bit too tense or “high-strung.”

Polarized Anxiety is “the persistent presence of two (or more) entirely opposing forces, thoughts, ideas, beliefs, or concepts within the constructs of one’s own heart and mind.” In other words, feeling diametrically opposed inside is what’s at the root of any and all anxiety we feel.

Here is an applicable example: put your two clenched fists together, pushing equally hard against one another. The discord of these opposing forces is what millions of people have going on inside them right now (and all day long, for some). When opposing forces push back harder, panic arrives. When we entertain both opposing perspectives equally, giving full permission for each to be entirely right and true, anxiety will always persist being a stubborn chunk of our lives (and perpetually draining any and all resources).

However, if we openly validate each concept, idea, thought, and belief, yet only give one of each opposing pair exclusive permission to bask in the mental spotlight of the mind, the lesser opponent starves and falls away, leaving the polarized anxiety dead in the water. The next time you feel “at war” in your own head or heart, carefully pick a side (one side), and fight to the death. The side that wins will always be the one you were secretly rooting for all along.

Chronic De-Pression is “the persistence of active Sup-Pression of genuinely honest and personally transparent Ex-Pression, regardless of the type of content or particular avenue of delivery.” This one’s even more basic and simple than all the others. (Simple, yes. But definitely not easy.)

Consider the truths that are yours that have been aching to be set free. What might it feel like to express each of them completely and entirely? What experiences have you witnessed and endured that were never fully validated nor reconciled? How might things have been different for you if you had given yourself exclusive permission to express your thoughts and feelings openly and freely at any point you felt it necessary and/or helpful to do so?

In hindsight, we often wish we had responded differently. Keep in mind, simply finding the courage to stand up for one’s self and risk everything in the name of self-respect can be a remarkably difficult journey over the course of years (and even decades, for some). Whatever truths your mind and heart demand be released, whether they prefer to be spoken, sung, danced, painted, penned, screamed, sculpted, or whispered, let them all out…And breathe freely for once, knowing that you have finally expressed and communicated peace with your past experiences as well as with any and all people “interminglingly” associated with them. Genuine healing will always be a complex and multi-faceted journey, so never underestimate the infinitely powerful impact of all your seemingly intangible emotional and relational efforts.

About the Author

Bentley Murdock is a wholistic lifestyle wellness specialist and #1 best-selling author. His primary areas of focus are disease symptom reversal, disease prevention, and sustainable wholistic healing methods. As Director of Wellness with Alive & Well HealthCARE, he leads local and remote clients (on personal, familial, and corporate levels) to take full ownership and responsibility for the future healing and wellness they desire. For more info, call 866-396-8742 or email Aloha@HealisticVitality.com.