When you reach 40, you find yourself no longer needed in the workplace? Expert No. 600 gives you a prescription for anxiety
"I have an ugly haircut and have to wear a hat - this is appearance anxiety." The first words of Xie Bin, secretary of the Party Committee of Shanghai Mental Health Center and doctoral supervisor of psychology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, when he took the stage made the readers in the audience laugh knowingly.
When anxiety becomes a "common disease" and "high incidence" in today's society, how can we "let go" of anxiety? The "No. 600" Healing Manual: Farewell to Anxiety, published by Gezhi Publishing House, held its first sharing session at Duoyun Academy Flagship Store. On that day, rows of chairs were added to the venue, which shows the readers' attention to this topic.
"Many people, including professionals, white-collar workers and students, live in a very 'compressed' state. Behind this 'compressed' state, the main emotional or behavioral state may be anxiety." Xie Bin said with emotion that in recent years, both the so-called anxiety in the social sense and the anxiety disorder in the clinical definition have become more common. The choice of holding the new book launch at Duoyun Academy Flagship Store is to convey a message to the whole society - anxiety is not terrible.
"Do you think we can say goodbye to anxiety?" In response to this question from Qiao Ying, director of the publicity department and chief physician of Shanghai Mental Health Center, event guest and self-media writer Ge Shisan replied: "Maybe we can say goodbye to anxiety temporarily, but in the long run, what we need is to 'coexist with anxiety'."
Ge Shisan and Qiao Ying have a live conversation. Photo by Shi Chenlu
Qiao Ying talked about the seven emotions that people have: "joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, sadness, fear, and surprise." Many people think that only joy is good, but in fact, scientists point out that there is no good or bad emotion, and every emotion is needed by humans. "It is unrealistic to say goodbye to anxiety forever, and it is not necessarily the best choice."
Ge Shisan added that if you only focus on your own flaws or the bad side and only see the good side of others, you will easily fall into negative emotions. "You always feel that the people around you are living better than you, and when you see others, you always magnify their bright spots and their wonderful lives infinitely. Then, when you look at yourself, you will start to be dissatisfied and fall into anxiety."
The workplace is one of the sources of anxiety. "When I was 40, I found that I was no longer needed in the workplace?" Qiao Ying shared a story about a friend who felt like an expensive and useless "luxury product in the workplace" and was anxious. He suffered from severe insomnia and hair loss. This friend, who was already a senior executive, took the initiative to seek medical help. "As a medical worker, what I can do is to accompany and assist. After taking medication for a period of time, his symptoms were relieved. One day, he told me that he had figured it out: it was a fact that he had high seniority and high salary, but he could not be a 'thousand-mile horse that does not eat grass', but a 'million-mile horse that eats grass'."
"Why is there so much anxiety in life?" Ge Shisan believes that behind the generation of anxiety is the question about the ultimate meaning of life. "What do you live for? Everyone may have their own answer. My answer is - for happiness." She shared that she had also experienced severe postpartum anxiety and even depression, and re-engaging in life and work, but relieved the anxiety. Pursue your own sense of happiness, and don't compare your lifestyle with others - some people are happy because of being positive, and some people need a break, "there is no right or wrong."
During the event, the "No. 600" cultural and creative products were mentioned from time to time by guests and readers. The popularity of cultural and creative products has made the image of "No. 600" more gentle and approachable. It is undeniable that the "stigma" of mental illness still exists. Ge Shisan lamented that when she was a child, "No. 600" was a derogatory synonym. Nowadays, although this discrimination has been reduced, some people still feel ashamed of taking medicine and seeking medical treatment. As an ordinary person, she encouraged everyone that when you feel that your life is out of control and you need help, you should actively seek help from a doctor, "Don't think that you are abnormal. Even if you are abnormal, it is normal."
According to the World Health Organization, in 2019, about 300 million people worldwide suffered from anxiety disorders, accounting for about 4% of the world's population, making it the most common of all mental disorders. As more and more people are troubled by anxiety, the "No. 600" expert team compiled the book "No. 600 Healing Manual: Farewell to Anxiety", which is not only a "prescription" to help the public deal with anxiety, but also a joint effort by people in various fields such as science, medicine and publishing to alleviate social anxiety.
"In the past, our goal was health, but now, we are talking more and more about 'happiness'. In the past, we faced patients, but now, they are more often called visitors - 8 or 9 out of 10 visitors may have emotional problems that do not meet the diagnosis of disease." Qiao Ying said, "Seeing your own anxiety, being willing to touch your anxiety, and admitting that you need help" is itself worthy of encouragement.
As pianist Kong Xiangdong wrote when recommending this book, "What really traps us is not the difficulties themselves, but the negative suggestions we make to ourselves over and over again in our imaginations."
