June 7, 2025
Dealing with Anxiety and Worry
Apple Podcasts 
Spotify 
Amazon Music 
RSS Feed 
Castro 
RadioPublic 
PocketCasts 
YouTube reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Looking from Within , Chapter 4, Ordeals and Difficulties, pp..98-99
This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2025/06/05/dealing-with-anxiety-and-worry/
Video presentations, interviews and podcast episodes are allavailable on the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@santoshkrinsky871
More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net
The US editions and links to e-book editions of SriAurobindo’s writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com
1
00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:05,240
Many people express the idea
that simply living life without
2
00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:08,400
any form of planning or care
about organizing one's
3
00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:12,960
activities is the ideal worry
free way of living.
4
00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:17,920
This conflates reasonable
planning in the outer life with
5
00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:20,040
the internal process of
worrying.
6
00:00:21,240 --> 00:00:24,440
Worrying is basically an
inability to let go of some
7
00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:27,160
issue or circumstance that might
affect one's life.
8
00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:32,000
A certain amount of worry tends
to occur when people find that
9
00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:35,760
their income has been affected,
or when they get potentially
10
00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:39,280
devastating health news for
themselves or any of their
11
00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:42,880
family, or when someone is
involved in some kind of
12
00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:47,360
accident, etcetera.
Anxiety tends to arise when
13
00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:51,000
there are unknown factors or
when the ego personality is put
14
00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:55,000
under pressure, such as having
to do a speech before a large
15
00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:59,200
public audience, or facing an
examination upon which one's
16
00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:03,680
future career may be affected,
or when going in for a job
17
00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:07,560
interview.
In many cases, the creation of
18
00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:12,480
what if scenarios takes up a lot
of time and energy for things
19
00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:17,040
which in fact never occur.
Confidence and faith can help
20
00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:22,640
mitigate this type of anxiety.
For a spiritual seeker who may
21
00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:26,320
have found ways to mitigate most
of the external causes of worry,
22
00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,200
there arise issues of worrying
about his fitness for the
23
00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:34,680
spiritual path, his ability to
maintain himself on that path,
24
00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:38,720
and the support he gets from the
Divine to whom he has dedicated
25
00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:42,760
himself.
All of these causes of worry and
26
00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:46,680
anxiety can and should be
addressed, while at the same
27
00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:51,520
time the reasonable need for
planning using the mental powers
28
00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:55,040
available to us can and should
be maintained.
29
00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:59,160
Planning ties into the scheduled
and fixed ways the world
30
00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:02,400
operates, whether it is
regarding plane or train
31
00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:06,560
schedules, banking hours, shop
openings, work schedules,
32
00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:09,840
etcetera.
Planning also comes in when one
33
00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:14,080
is trying to operate a complex
organization that has many
34
00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:18,840
moving parts that need to work
together, coordinate and which
35
00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:22,320
are dependent on one another for
the success of the activity.
36
00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:26,960
Planning should not revolve
around worry but around the
37
00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:31,760
organization of tasks and
actions around a chosen goal or
38
00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:35,880
objective.
Worry is actually destructive
39
00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:40,840
rather than constructive as it
eats away at the vital force and
40
00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:44,560
actually opens up the individual
to the factor that is causing
41
00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:48,480
the worry in the 1st place.
It is like punching a hole in
42
00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:53,160
one's aura, the protective vital
envelope that helps mitigate the
43
00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:57,120
impact of forces with which an
individual comes into contact.
44
00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:03,120
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
has this to say about worry.
45
00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:08,920
Quote if a problem is fixable,
if a situation is such that you
46
00:03:08,920 --> 00:03:12,680
can do something about it, then
there is no need to worry.
47
00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:17,760
If it's not fixable, then there
is no help in worrying.
48
00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:21,520
There is no benefit in worrying
whatsoever.
49
00:03:21,920 --> 00:03:25,080
End Quote.
The mother writes.
50
00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:27,960
Quote.
Let us live each day without
51
00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,440
anxiety.
Why worry beforehand about
52
00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:33,600
something that will probably
never happen?
53
00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:37,920
Don't foresee difficulties.
It does not help to surmount
54
00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:41,720
them and helps them to come.
Live in the consciousness of the
55
00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:45,000
eternal and you will have no
more worry.
56
00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:50,720
End Quote Reference Srioro Bindu
and the Mother Looking from
57
00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:57,400
Within, Chapter 4, Ordinals and
Difficulties, pages 98 to 99.
00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:05,240
Many people express the idea
that simply living life without
2
00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:08,400
any form of planning or care
about organizing one's
3
00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:12,960
activities is the ideal worry
free way of living.
4
00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:17,920
This conflates reasonable
planning in the outer life with
5
00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:20,040
the internal process of
worrying.
6
00:00:21,240 --> 00:00:24,440
Worrying is basically an
inability to let go of some
7
00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:27,160
issue or circumstance that might
affect one's life.
8
00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:32,000
A certain amount of worry tends
to occur when people find that
9
00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:35,760
their income has been affected,
or when they get potentially
10
00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:39,280
devastating health news for
themselves or any of their
11
00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:42,880
family, or when someone is
involved in some kind of
12
00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:47,360
accident, etcetera.
Anxiety tends to arise when
13
00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:51,000
there are unknown factors or
when the ego personality is put
14
00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:55,000
under pressure, such as having
to do a speech before a large
15
00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:59,200
public audience, or facing an
examination upon which one's
16
00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:03,680
future career may be affected,
or when going in for a job
17
00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:07,560
interview.
In many cases, the creation of
18
00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:12,480
what if scenarios takes up a lot
of time and energy for things
19
00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:17,040
which in fact never occur.
Confidence and faith can help
20
00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:22,640
mitigate this type of anxiety.
For a spiritual seeker who may
21
00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:26,320
have found ways to mitigate most
of the external causes of worry,
22
00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,200
there arise issues of worrying
about his fitness for the
23
00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:34,680
spiritual path, his ability to
maintain himself on that path,
24
00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:38,720
and the support he gets from the
Divine to whom he has dedicated
25
00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:42,760
himself.
All of these causes of worry and
26
00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:46,680
anxiety can and should be
addressed, while at the same
27
00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:51,520
time the reasonable need for
planning using the mental powers
28
00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:55,040
available to us can and should
be maintained.
29
00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:59,160
Planning ties into the scheduled
and fixed ways the world
30
00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:02,400
operates, whether it is
regarding plane or train
31
00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:06,560
schedules, banking hours, shop
openings, work schedules,
32
00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:09,840
etcetera.
Planning also comes in when one
33
00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:14,080
is trying to operate a complex
organization that has many
34
00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:18,840
moving parts that need to work
together, coordinate and which
35
00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:22,320
are dependent on one another for
the success of the activity.
36
00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:26,960
Planning should not revolve
around worry but around the
37
00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:31,760
organization of tasks and
actions around a chosen goal or
38
00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:35,880
objective.
Worry is actually destructive
39
00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:40,840
rather than constructive as it
eats away at the vital force and
40
00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:44,560
actually opens up the individual
to the factor that is causing
41
00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:48,480
the worry in the 1st place.
It is like punching a hole in
42
00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:53,160
one's aura, the protective vital
envelope that helps mitigate the
43
00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:57,120
impact of forces with which an
individual comes into contact.
44
00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:03,120
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
has this to say about worry.
45
00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:08,920
Quote if a problem is fixable,
if a situation is such that you
46
00:03:08,920 --> 00:03:12,680
can do something about it, then
there is no need to worry.
47
00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:17,760
If it's not fixable, then there
is no help in worrying.
48
00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:21,520
There is no benefit in worrying
whatsoever.
49
00:03:21,920 --> 00:03:25,080
End Quote.
The mother writes.
50
00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:27,960
Quote.
Let us live each day without
51
00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,440
anxiety.
Why worry beforehand about
52
00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:33,600
something that will probably
never happen?
53
00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:37,920
Don't foresee difficulties.
It does not help to surmount
54
00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:41,720
them and helps them to come.
Live in the consciousness of the
55
00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:45,000
eternal and you will have no
more worry.
56
00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:50,720
End Quote Reference Srioro Bindu
and the Mother Looking from
57
00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:57,400
Within, Chapter 4, Ordinals and
Difficulties, pages 98 to 99.