A Client Conversation on Anxiety and Purpose She said to me, "Noah, I feel anxious about finding a boyfriend and getting married. I really want it to happen, but it has not happened yet. When will that anxiety go away?" I replied, "It will go away when you get a boyfriend." She asked, "And then I will not be anxious anymore?" "No," I said, "then you will be anxious about when he will ask you to marry him." "And when I marry him, I will not be anxious anymore?" "No," I said, "then you will be anxious about when you will get pregnant and have your first child." "And then I will not be anxious anymore?" "No," I said, "then you will be anxious about the health and future of your child." She paused. "It sounds like I am going to be anxious for the rest of my life." "Yes," I said, "but that is not a curse. What is your anxiety moving you to do right now?" "It is moving me to take steps to find a boyfriend." "Exactly," I said. "It will also motivate you to move the relationship towards marriage, to care for your children with attention and concern, and to plan for their future. Instead of seeing anxiety as an enemy, see it as a motivator that pushes you to secure your future." I explained that there are crippling levels of anxiety, which we do not want, but that a low, steady level is healthy. It keeps you aware and prepared. Some people are motivated by conscience, others by curiosity (high openness). The most successful are motivated by a little of each, conscience, curiosity, and a healthy level of anxiety. I gave her a simple practice: "Every morning, pray to God and thank Him for the anxiety that motivates you to do what is good for yourself, to be careful in your decisions, and to prepare for a future you will enjoy." Anxiety is not your enemy. Anxiety is energy. Learn to direct it, and it will serve your will instead of trapping you.