HOW THE BOOK OF JOY IS HELPING ME DEAL WITH ANXIETY

 The Book of Joy is by the Dalai Lama and Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu. Yes, a Christian and a Buddhist co-authored the book (cue joke about the Christian and the Buddhist who went into a bar; I never get those jokes). Anyway, I am not yet done reading this book but there is a lesson about togetherness which I think will benefit you, especially if you are dealing with anxiety.

The word used in the book is Ubuntu which I think describes the idea of community and togetherness. Ubuntu is often translated to mean "I am because we are". 

Growing up, I heard people say "the world is becoming a global village" a lot. Then, the internet was just becoming and I really didn't understand the saying. Now I do and quite agree with it.

However, I also think that as much as we are connected to one another through social media and the internet, in our daily lives we are increasingly becoming disconnected from one another. Everybody living in the city (whether it is Lagos or New York) seems to be living singly; facing the problems of urban living on their own.

The idea of togetherness really is not about becoming dependent on other people, it is about acknowledging that other people exist in your immediate environment. More importantly, it is about focusing on our shared humanity. That is, how similar we are than how different we are.

Ubuntu also helps you to understand that there is no lack of adversity in our lives and whatever the situation, you can bet that there are millions of other people in the world in similar situations in that same moment.

There is research to back up the claim that saying we instead of I can reduce your chances of having a stroke. I mean, can you believe that? But really, since I learned about this, I have applied it to my 9-5 where I manage a team in a pharmaceutical company. The truth is that the responsibilities can sometimes be overwhelming but now I don't I say "I have all of these kinds of stuff to do", I use "we" instead. And this little change is helping me cope with work better.

Ubuntu is the understanding that in life, synergy is important. In church today, we were reminded that fulfilling God's purpose for our lives depends on our interactions with the people in our families and communities.

Liverpool F.C's motto is "you will never walk alone". It's kind of like that line from Maya Angelou''s poem, Our Grandmothers: "I come as one, but I stand as ten thousand."

So I charge you to never walk alone, or at least have that  mindset that you are standing as ten thousand. 

-Tobi Amokeodo