You’re not the only one. I’ve felt it too. And the existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard identified a similar experience in his work The Concept of Anxiety.

He explained that the mere fact that we have the choice to throw ourselves over and make such a life-changing decision creates a deep feeling of anxiety. He called this the “dizziness of freedom.”

My Experience with “Existential Anxiety.”

Every morning and night for the past couples of weeks I’ve went up to the roof of my 24 story apartment and looked down on the Williamsburg bridge and New York City skyline.

It’s a beautiful, calm, and empowering view. From up there, I’m a giant, and everything below me is like a colony of ants. Here’s a picture I snapped with my phone to try and capture it’s magnificence:

When I peek over the railing I see just how far down the fall would be. It’s enormous. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I feel that impulse to throw myself off.

The impulse isn’t driven by a desire to kill myself, instead it is driven by the recognition that I have the capacity to make very powerful decisions. It’s a metaphor of the millions of other decisions that I make everyday which greatly impact the course of my life.

Kierkegaard and Existential Anxiety

As I mentioned in the introduction, this experience is remarkably similar to what the 19th century existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once described in The Concept of Anxiety.

He uses the example of a man standing on the edge of a tall building or cliff. When the man looks over the edge, he experiences a focused fear of falling, but at the same time, the man feels a terrifying impulse to throw himself intentionally off the edge.

That experience is anxiety because of our complete freedom to choose to either throw oneself off or to stay put. The mere fact that one has the possibility and freedom to do something, even the most terrifying of possibilities, triggers immense feelings of anxiety. Kierkegaard called this our “dizziness of freedom.”

I believe that everyone experiences this “dizziness of freedom” to varying degrees. And the anxiety is rooted in the power we each have as conscious beings to make truly life-changing decisions.

So what about you? Have you ever tasted your own “dizziness of freedom?” What was it like? Did it frighten you, empower you, or was it a little bit of both? Feel free to share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below.

I object to this perspective.

I think a healthy workplace depends on our ability to feel more in control. And while some jobs don’t permit us with a lot of freedoms, there are always a few key things we can do to make our work environment more bearable and less stressful.

So let’s get straight to some of the things you can do.

Ease tension with coworkers and bosses.

Relationships can make or break a work environment. When people don’t get along and don’t know how to communicate effectively, there is a lingering tension in the office that can ruin everyone’s day.

We dread walking into the office, not because we don’t like what we do, but because we have to deal with an assortment of jerk-offs, bullies, whiners, and other vampires who suck up any positive energy in the room. Every office has them.

So what can we do? First, you have to learn how to let a lot of this negative energy just roll off your shoulders. The more you respond to negative energy in a negative way, the more you are contributing to the problem. Trying to reframe some of the negative aspects of work in a humorous or joyful way is often very effective for breaking the cycle of negativity in your work environment.

When someone makes a sly remark to you, just nod your head and smile. When someone gives you an order in a condescending tone, just imagine that person with a baby face talking in a really high-pitched voice. When someone starts a heated argument with you, know how to defuse it as soon as possible (whether that means cracking a joke or politely walking out of the room).

No, you won’t get along with everyone, but there will always be some people who you hit it off with better than others. Build solid relationships with these people. Get to know them better. Have lunch with them. Share interesting stories. Vent about work to each other. Having a work buddy (or two, or three) can really help you get through those tough days.

Also, if you have a bad past with some coworkers, try to fix them. You can try to patch things up with them, apologize for your mistakes, and start again on the right foot. Or – if they are truly that unbearable – try to deal with them on strictly business terms and minimize any excess interaction.

If you can, consider avoiding some vampires entirely. Some people you just can’t get along with no matter how hard you try. It’s very likely your work environment has one or two of these people. Recognize those boundaries. Sure, it’s not the ideal situation to be in, but it’s better than feeding into a destructive relationship and making it grow worse. If avoiding these people means moving to another office or part of the company, consider bringing up your concerns to management.

Make your office come alive.

Despite spending most of our work hours cramped in our office, we often spend very little time keeping it fresh and stimulating. The truth is that our surroundings, even when not consciously noticed, can have a huge effect on our mood and well-being. For example, studies have shown that the presence of plants in the workplace help boost people’s moods and increase cognitive functioning.

Another study has shown that when workers have more control over the design of their workplace, this improves their happiness, productivity, and even health.

Often when working for large companies we can lose a sense of our personal identity. Your office is usually the one place you are allowed to express yourself. Create a work environment that works for you. Something that reflects some of your own values and interests. And something that motivates and inspires you.

If this means changing your office around every few months or so – do it. Keep things interesting. Make your work environment stimulating (but not too distracting).

Have healthy snacks around.

A lot of people get so focused on their work that they sometimes forget to eat. Or they have so much to get done, that they have to skip lunch to make sure they meet their deadline.

I’m a strong believer that we need to stay healthy and nourished if we want to be effective at our jobs. Ignoring our bodies, and focusing all our energy on our work, is going to drain you and hurt your work ethic.

No matter what kind of work you do, your body and brain need fuel to do it. This means drinking water and having healthy snacks between meals to keep your body replenished. The less you take care of your body, the more it’s going to affect your work.

A fatigued body and mind can’t possibly work to it’s fullest potential, so keep yourself hydrated and nourished as often as possible.

This rule is actually pretty simple and easy to follow. Re-stock your office with healthy snacks every Monday: grapes, nuts, water, cheese and crackers, tuna, eggs, etc. If you have the choice, I recommend storing this stuff in a personal office vs. the company kitchen. This just makes it easier to access food when you are in the middle of work (and it prevents other coworkers from taking your stuff).

Identify the purpose of what you do.

I don’t expect everyone to romanticize the importance of their job. It’s true that not everyone has a career that really resonates with them deep-down. I respect that. But I also think most jobs serve an important function in our society. And when you recognize that you are an important part of what keeps society going, you sometimes find a new sense of purpose and pride about the things you do.

Ever seen the documentary The Philosopher Kings? It’s an interesting portrayal of some custodial workers at major universities (Duke, Princeton, U.C. Berkely, etc.) who are really passionate about their job. Now normally a custodial worker may not be a very revered job, but these workers clearly had a fire in their souls for what they did. They cared about where they worked and how it looked, and they recognized the importance of their job.

We could all learn something from these custodians. No matter what type of work you do, it plays an important role in our society. Sometimes you just need to look at the “bigger picture” of your actions, and how it fits into the grand scheme of things.

Question:

So often people live their lives based on the blueprint that has been handed down to them: go to school, get good grades, go to college, get a comfortable job, and then settle down and start a family.

While this lifestyle may be perfectly suitable for some, I have always had other ideas in mind. I’ve always wanted more freedom and more choice. It’s good to know that I’m not alone, and others like Jonathan have already been successful defining their own path and living their dreams.

It can often be a scary thing to start living on your own terms. I’ve experienced the fear firsthand, and I face it everyday moving forward. It takes a great deal of responsibility to take control of your life. It also takes a lot of experimentation and inevitable failure.

It requires a leap that many are not willing to make, but when they make it work, they realize it was well worth the effort.

I’m currently in the same process Mead maps out in Reclaim Your Dreams. I’m facing uncertainty, I’m taking action, and I’m ready to learn from my failures and push forward.

I want to thank Mead for participating in this interview and letting me pick apart his brain a little:

Question #1: The unemployment rate remains high, and a recent article in the NY Times said that many are now seeking the entrepreneurial route. How can your book Reclaim Your Dreams help those who want to become self-employed or start their own business?

Reclaim Your Dreams isn’t a how-to guide to starting your own business. But it is a book that addresses an important pre-requisite to taking the plunge: how to find the courage to follow your heart. Most people sabotage themselves before they’ve even taken the first step. The ownership of their mind is not theirs; it’s overrun by the conditioning and ideas of what other people think they should do. We’re told from an early age that what it’s not okay to be who we are, we need to become something. We’re told that we need to work hard to succeed, and the work is a chore. All of this is nonsense. You don’t need to become anything, who you are right now is what you need to embrace. Work needn’t be a chore, you can do what makes you come alive and find purpose, enjoyment and earn a comfortable living from it as well.

Question #2: What is the single biggest factor that stops people from following
their dreams?

Passive assumption. The belief that things are a certain way without any real evidence to prove it. Most of the things we believe about the world or our capabilities are rooted in these assumptions. The problem is that we haven’t actually tested them, we don’t know if they’re true or not, so we’re really just guessing. That may be okay when you’re playing a game of cards, but when you’re life is at stake it’s better not to guess. It’s better to take what you believe, suspend it, and see what happens when you actually follow your dreams. You’ll be surprised that the repercussions are often vastly overrated.

Question #3: Is there ever a dream that is too big?

The only dream that’s too big is the one that you can’t truly believe in. Or the one that takes you away from living right now.

Question #4: In your book you write about dealing with naysayers, those people who discourage us from pursuing an unconventional lifestyle. Can you share some of that advice?

Well the first thing to remember is that “a statue was never raised to honor a critic.” It’s easy to be a critic, it’s a lot harder to do great things.

With that said the best way to deal with naysayers is to not care. And the only way you can be unaffected is when you get all of your approval from yourself.

Question #5: Instead of living their dreams, many are stuck in nightmare jobs, with nightmare bosses, and nightmare workloads. They want to be independent, but they have families to feed and bills to pay. They have no clue how to escape this prison-like lifestyle – what can these people start doing RIGHT NOW to build a better life?

You can start making more deliberate choices within your current circumstances. In a situation like that there are probably a lot of obligations and commitments that seem mandatory or unquestionable that really aren’t. Start systematically removing the commitments that don’t make you come alive. But start with something small. That might be deciding that you won’t work on the weekends and the evenings anymore, without exception. It might mean that you’re going to write a letter to your boss to explain how you want your working relationship to be. The more we work on these small things, the more courage we build to take bigger steps to creating the life we want.

Question #6: I’ve been collecting a lot of quotes lately. Do you have any favorites you’d like to share?

While we’re on the subject of following your dreams, I’ll share this quote I
highlight in my other ebook, The Zero Hour Workweek.

“The master in the art of living
draws no sharp distinction
between his labor and his leisure,
his mind and his body,
his work and his play,
his education and his recreation.

He hardly knows which.

He simply pursues his vision of excellence
through whatever he is doing
and leaves others to determine
whether his is working or playing.

To himself, he is always doing both.” – James A. Michener

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That quote is one of my personal favorites. I’ve always explained to friends how I’ll never have a “job” or do “work,” because I absolutely hate the negative connotations attached to those words. To me, the biggest obstacle in life is re-framing your work as a form of play, and then using that playfulness to create awesome things that people value. I sometimes think of this as the “Google mentality” – Work hard. Play hard.

Thanks again Jonathan for sharing a little about your personal philosophy. I think we could all benefit from listening to your advice and applying it more in our lives. I know our paths will cross again soon.