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anxiety = i'm fat or lazy and get panicked when I think about having to get a job instead of sitting around drinking all day or doing drugs all day being on reddit

anxiety = I can get the gov to give me a grand a month, which if i'm careful means I dont need to get an actual job.

media manufactured.

Evolutionarily, concern for possible future events is important for operating in a difficult environemnt. That instinct still exists but many of the reasons for it do not (for now). This habitual concern without a reasonable trigger manifests as anxiety. Think of the people who develop anxiety issues, it's primarily Whites. Blacks for example (and research supports this) have lower levels of anxiety, which is why they can buy rims instead of land and more readily engage in risk-taking behavior. There's also a lot of other things going on with it but often, when you see someone with anxiety, you're looking at a primate that can't cope with it's enclosure.

For me, anxiety is a perpetual state of hyperawareness about the things that require your attention. It's made worse by your internal sense of hierarchy getting misaligned, so sorting things between important and trivial becomes muddied and difficult. You start feeling like you need to get everything done, now. Later is too late. But there's just not enough time.

In a normal state, it's fairly easy to filter out the excess sensory inputs that aren't important. Your brain does it for you, for the most part. Then you can sort the remaining inputs into a proper hierarchy of importance and direct your mental focus accordingly. And you can do the same thing over time, worrying about or disregarding future events you know to be on the horizon, and either alloting them mental focus now to better prepare for difficult tasks, or leaving them unattented at the back of your mind to free up your mental energy for the present, since the future task is trivial enough that it doesn't require any thought towards planning its execution. All of this comes naturally, all things being equal.

Where thing go wrong is when you're constantly in a situation that manages to break through your mental filters. Unimportant things grab your attention when they shouldn't. At first, it's exciting and stimulating, but over time it wears on your mind. I find living in a busy, overcrowded city does this. There's always too many people, too many loud noises, too many foul smells, too many electronic messages vying for your attention. For short spurts, it's perfectly manageable, but over time, it starts to fray your nerves.

Which of these innumerable sensory inputs are important? Which will prove dangerous if left unattended? Why does it all feel so unnatural? For me, it results in a growing anger that builds and builds until I want to do whatever's necessary to shut down all the excess noise.

I don't feel any of that outside of the city though. I don't feel it when I'm not at the mercy of too many electronic devices. The natural soundscape in rural areas is full of things to focus on, but it never feels like a constant oppressive din trying to break through your consciousness. And there are as many or more dangers outside of the city, but the dangers and precautions you need to take to avoid them make more sense.

I think anxiety is the product of living a modern life at odds how we're meant to live. It's an evolutionary mismatch that manifests in what feels like a crisis of meaning. And the solution is to develop the skills required to live a more natural life more in tune with your temperament. It's not taking drugs to manage anxiety. It's not insisting on everyone else living that same life if the modern world isn't getting to them. It's developing yourself in the right way to live the kind of life you're best adapted to.

For me, that's finding an exit from city life.

As an example, I'd fall into the "anxiety" category. Imagine "fight or flight" over stupid shit perpetually. Or, if you're a South Park fan, the character Tweak is a slightly exaggerated example.

Shit like phone calls or going through a massive crowd of people. It seems the "lack of knowing what will happen" can raise one's heart rate and make one jittery.

The majority of people can't deal with Clown World. Some have actual panic attacks and "fight or flight" kicks in. Real panic attacks are the people who decide to bolt from their vehicle in stopped traffic over the bridge from Detroit to Canada.

A lot of anxiety is just a general feeling, not about a specific threat

What makes me anxious is the lottery of bad luck. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time because it has to happen unless you lead a charmed life. All those sharks that swam by you at the beach and one day...one of them decides to take a closer look... All those beady eyes in the shadows of the street watching you walk by and deciding to mug someone else but one day...The thousands of trees by the highway that must fall sooner or later and why not on you driving by...The elderly car driver who has a heart attack and mows down a footpath full of people...

I'm anxious to see the answer!