According to Osho, anxiety dissolves when you stop carrying the past and anticipating the future, and root yourself in the present. Treat meditation as an attitude: give total attention to whatever you are doing—walking, eating, listening—without adding thought. Do one thing wholly, here and now; as presence deepens, compulsive thinking subsides and a spacious, clear awareness replaces anxiety.
Quit replaying yesterday and fearing tomorrow—just do one thing right now with your full attention.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
For the past ten years I've had a lot of problems. I have a lot of anxiety. My mind seems to be going constantly. What can I do about it?
Try to stop a thought and you will see who is the master. Try to stop it. You cannot. The thought will rebel against your control and it will come back with a vengeance -- with more force, with more skill and efficiency. Whatever you think about is not thinking, really, it is just a rush, a mad rush, a crowd, a traffic jam of thoughts -- an inconsistent, useless, unnecessary holdover from the past. So be aware. Don't waste the present anymore. Live in the present. Live in the meditative quality of the present. The present moment is not really a part of time at all. Past is time, future is time, but the present is not time. Ordinarily, we divide time into three parts: past, present, and future. But in reality it is not so. The present is eternal, the present is. It is always here and now,…
Remember one thing always -- that there is no cause to be anxious in life, and all causes are just excuses. If you decide not to be anxious, then nothing will make you anxious; there is nothing worth it. Life is such a fleeting phenomenon that is going to disappear one day. Why be bothered too much about it? We are only here for so few days. Just play the game and remain aloof. If one can remain a witness, aloof, distant from things, then anxiety is not possible. Anxiety comes into existence only when we become identified with small things. And they all pass. There is a famous Sufi story: A great king wanted a special ring to be made for him. The ring was made... The message of the story is: this too will pass.
How is anxiety related to desire? It seems easier to see that one is desiring than to see that one is 'anxieting' -- in fact, there is no verb form for anxiety, at least not in english. Am I desiring my anxiety or anxieting my desire?
Desire is a way to avoid anxiety, but only to avoid. You cannot destroy it by desiring. And desire gives you small anxieties, remember, VERY small anxieties, which are not existential. Of course, when you are earning money you will have a few anxieties: the market and the share market, and things like that, and prices. And you have put so much money -- are you going to earn out of it or are you going to lose? These small anxieties. These are nothing compared to the real anxiety -- these are tricks to avoid the real. Of course, when you are ambitious for politician power, you will have anxieties, a thousand and one. But they are nothing! they are play-things compared to the fundamental anxiety. You ask me: HOW IS ANXIETY RELATED TO DESIRE? Desire is a cover-up for anxiety. It is a trick, a strategy. And meditation is…
Man is always in anxiety -- sometimes more, sometimes less but the anxiety is always there. Either it is concerning the past which is no more, hence it is futile. Nothing can be done about it, but people go on brooding, thinking that they should have done this, they should not have done that. And it is so absurd because now nothing is possible, the past is no more there, it is finished. And thinking about it, becoming concerned about it, is waiting the present -- which is and can still be used -- too. Or people are anxious about the future, about what they are going to do tomorrow, how they are going to manage and how they are going to make their future beautiful, rich, successful -- and the future has not come yet.
We are so anxious that the inner current of anxiety that is flowing is not even visible. And when we become quiet on the surface, the inner current will seem to be moving as a great anxiety; panic may arise and it will feel, “What is happening?” Even then, relax completely; even then, remain silently in the attitude of the witness. Even then, keep on watching; do nothing. The moment you do something, the disturbance begins. (The audio recording of the question is not clear.) No, do not do anything. Practice non-cooperation. Do not give any kind of support to thought. Sit silently, just watch, and they will pass. Thoughts are there, they are moving, but thoughts are powerless in themselves—until my cooperation is given, until I lend them energy. They have no energy of their own.