Zvone – Inner Dialogue

When Morning Anxiety Quietly Takes Over A Strange Kind of Absence   The morning began slowly, wrapped in fog that still lingered between the trees across the road. The sun was already somewhere behind it, trying to break through, but everything outside still looked pale, soft, and half asleep. I had woken up slightly too late for my liking. Not terribly late. Just late enough for that unpleasant thought to immediately appear: "You are already behind." I lay there for a few seconds, staring at the ceiling. I had actually slept fairly well, although I woke up several times during the night. Still, compared to some periods in my life, this counted as decent sleep. Then the brain started. "You need to get outside before it becomes too hot.  The flowers need watering. The fan still needs repairing.  You forgot to answer that message yesterday.  You should really stop postponing things." Within ten seconds, my mind already felt crowded. Coffee, Cigarettes, and Noise ...

When Beliefs Become Stronger Than Facts Coffee, Shade, and Politics A few days ago, I was sitting outside with an older neighbor, enjoying one of those quiet afternoons that almost force a person to slow down. We sat in pleasant shade, drinking coffee while soft sunlight filtered through the leaves. It was peaceful in the kind of way only retirement, old gardens, and warm afternoons can create. My neighbor is a retired schoolteacher, intelligent, calm and reasonable. The kind of person you expect to be thoughtful and balanced. Somehow, the conversation drifted toward politics. Normally I avoid political discussions. Not because I have no opinions, but because they so rarely lead anywhere useful. Most political debates today resemble two angry football fans screaming at each other while neither actually watches the match. Still, almost accidentally, I mentioned that I was not particularly fond of the current political option in our country. Not even because of ideology, but becau...

Anxiety, Alcohol, Pills, and the Illusion of Easy Solutions Fear of Pills I do not believe that tranquilizers and anti-anxiety medication can truly solve anxiety in the long run. Maybe they can help for a while. Maybe they can calm a person down during the worst moments, when panic, insomnia, or inner chaos become unbearable. But deep inside, I have always felt that chemistry alone cannot fix something that slowly grows out of life itself, out of fear, habits, stress, unresolved thoughts, and the way a person learns to survive. Perhaps I think this way because I already had my own experience with addiction long before anxiety became a problem. I was barely eighteen when alcohol started becoming more than just occasional drinking. Looking back now, I can honestly say I was already seriously drinking myself into the ground in those years. By twenty-two, I stopped drinking completely. At least for a while - for 30 years. At that age, I sometimes wondered whether some other substance...