The Worry Gene

 The 16th century French bishop and Doctor of the Church, Francis de Sales, once wrote, "Face what comes your way, not with fear / anxiety, but with hope."

Which is good advice which I, as a natural optimist, find easy to follow. But in recent times, scientific research has revealed that many of us have a genetic disposition towards worry and anxiety. The medical website Healthline.com, suggests that the so-called "worry gene" is not a myth, but a reality. They report, "While it seems that a number of factors can put you at risk for developing anxiety disorders, research suggests that anxiety is hereditary, at least in part."

Of course, everyone feels anxious sometimes, but for those who suffer from full-blown anxiety, it can be debilitating, as they worry about various dark, amorphous futures. Healthline suggest that, "Most anxiety disorders are chronic, meaning they never truly disappear. However, there are lots of effective treatment options out there for anxiety disorders. Through therapy, lifestyle changes, and perhaps medication, you can learn to cope better so that you can manage your disorder."

They also suggest that sharing your anxiety with someone, whether that is a therapist or a friend or family member, can be beneficial. I know from my own limited experience with anxiety that it really does help to talk about it. So perhaps the best thing we optimists can do is to be willing to sit alongside our anxious friends, being ready to listen with the ears of our hearts, without judgement and without trying to fix whatever the problem is. In other words, by showing compassion.

As Buddhist nun, Pema Chödrön once wrote, "In cultivating compassion we draw from the wholeness of our experience - our suffering, our empathy, as well as our cruelty and terror. It has to be this way. Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity."