The Basic Anxiety of Life Learning to manage the underlying anxiety of life is key to stepping beyond its grip Underlying much of what we do is a sense of anxiety, uncertainty, fear, doubt, or dissatisfaction. And we react to this in so many unhelpful ways: We seek distraction, we eat unhealthy food, we procrastinate, and we get caught in a cycle of anxiety and unhappiness. We lash out at others, we dwell in our loneliness, and then we go into denial about it all. If we could learn to deal with the basic anxiety of life, we would have much more ease—and far less struggle—in all that we do.