Anxiety – Applying the concept of Yin and Yang to live the balance and be at peace
The concepts of Yin and Yang stem from Chinese philosophy called Taoism created by Laozi. They have been around since approximately the 6th century to the present day. Laozi describes Yin and Yang as a duality that exists in everything. Day and night, man and woman, life and death, etc. They’re two opposing sides that don’t contradict each other but complement each other and depend on one another.
Taosim also says that constant change is the nature of everything. Winter follows autumn and spring follows winter and we can experience changes in our lives in a similar way. If you want to grow and develop all you need to do is accept changes and allow them to happen, in nature and in your life.
Of course, our personal desires and goals are what lead us to want to alter the natural order of things. We can interfere in the natural flow or do nothing and let everything unfold naturally without any pressure to change things.
Yin and yang represent this continuous change. When the duality expressed in these two concepts is balanced, then you have harmony. Disharmony, on the other hand, is when one side of the duality dominates over the other.
Yin corresponds to all that is feminine. It’s soft, warm, earthy, passive, absorbent, and dark. Yang represents the masculine side of things. It’s rough, dry, aerial, active, penetrating, and bright. Both elements and characteristics are present in everything that exists.
To live in harmony we need to understand the guiding principles of Yin and Yang.
The principles are:
• Yin and yang are opposites but not exclusive. Look at nature. In the darkness of the night, the light of the moon still shines.
• Interdependence. Yin can’t exist without yang and vice-versa. Again look at life. There is no death without life, no life without death.
• They maintain a dynamic equilibrium. When yin increases, yang decreases, and vice-versa. When one of the two grows in excess, it forces the other to shrink and that triggers a transformation. Again look at nature; excess heat leads to thawing, which causes flooding.
• When one disappears, it transforms into the other. They aren’t separate realities. They coexist. That’s why when one disappears, it’s just to give way to the other. Night and day are perfect examples of this principle.
• Yin always contains a trace of yang and vice-versa.
Now how does this relate to anxiety and how does it help us to achieve balance and live at peace?
Yin and Yang call for detachment and acceptance of what is and to let things flow. To accept that night gives way to day, sadness to joy, light to dark, etc. Don’t try to make everything positive. Instead, admit that duality exists. This is the Taoist path to a peaceful life.
When you embrace the concept of yin and yang you can find the balance to reduce your anxiety and move ahead into your quality life.
Yin represents acceptance as it is more passive than yang. Yin represents being gentle, soft, releasing, allowing and separating. Yin does not resist, fight or do anything to get rid of anxiety. Taking on Yin as a principle allows you to recognise what you can’t change, separating yourself from it to let it go and to live in the now. Acceptance frees you from any anxiety provoking thoughts and things you may not be able to control. You can make the choice to accept those things you can not control to be at peace.
Yang is the action. It is active and dynamic. If you live by this principle you will think of what you can do to overcome anxiety.
You can easily see now how Yin and Yang are complementing each other. Both are necessary to reduce your anxiety and to live in peace.
The following questions and tips from Tanya J. Peterson may help you to tackle your anxiety by applying the Yin and Yang concept.
Reflection Questions to Explore Anxiety's Yin and Yang
These reflection questions can help you determine when to practice acceptance and when to take action:
• What is the nature of my anxiety: physical, emotional, cognitive (thoughts), a combination?
• If I could change my anxiety now, how would I want it to be?
• By extension, how do I want to be now: Energized? Relaxed? Calm? Charged with excitement to move forward?
• Is my anxiety about the past, present, near future, or distant, vague future? If it is about the past you can accept it by letting it go. If it is about the future you may want to question if the anxiety is just imaginary or if it is real.
• Can I do something about my anxiety? If so, what do I want to do? If not, how will I accept it and be at peace?
Questions like these help you understand your anxiety, whether or not you can change things, and what you want for yourself. Then, you can practice acceptance or take action steps to reduce anxiety and feel calm.
Let the following tips help you begin to balance acceptance and action.
Tips for Reducing Anxiety with Acceptance and Action
To harness acceptance:
• Reflect gently and without judgment: Are you trying to control your situations, change people or things, and/or avoid problems?
• Describe how your life feels. If it feels limited and anxious, it might be time to accept what you can't change and drop the struggle.
• Fully experience your present moment with mindfulness. When anxiety intrudes, return your attention to your "now" and refocus peacefully.
To embrace action:
• Define your values and goals, the reasons you want to be free from anxiety.
• Determine small action steps to get yourself where you want to be.
• Take the steps and do something every day to reduce your anxiety and work toward your goals. Practice meditation, listen to calming music or just walk in nature and be in silence.
To reduce anxiety, you can accept it and you can actively work to lower it. Approaching this with balance, such as using both acceptance and action, is a holistic approach of yin and yang in which anxiety will fade and you will shine.
For more information on the Yin and Yang concept at work in anxiety, you may want to visit the link below.
Reference
Peterson, T. (2018, November 29). Anxiety's Yin and Yang: Live the Balance, Be At Peace, HealthyPlace. https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/anxiety-schmanxiety/2018/11/anxietys-yin-and-yang-live-the-balance-be-at-peace