Albert Ellis said it well about understanding how anxiety arises: “People are not bothered by the events themselves, but by how they perceive them.” This important idea should be learned by every person who is faced with an anxious state. If the event were the problem, all people would have the same reaction. But in reality, each person attaches his own meaning to what is happening. Today I will share with you useful thoughts that will help you not to give in to anxious thoughts.1. Anxiety is safe Anxiety, panic attacks and any other vegetative reactions are absolutely safe. Moreover, at their core, they are necessary for our survival. Without anxiety, we would do reckless things and put our lives in danger. Panic is needed in order to act quickly at a critical moment to save your life. Anxiety for health helps preserve life, anxiety about attitude supports the group, fear of making a mistake helps to warn against consequences.2. Adaptive and maladaptive anxiety From the first point we smoothly flow into the second. Initially, the anxiety mechanism had one continuous benefit. But the world has changed, and it has become much safer than it was before. But the anxious brain remained the same as it was then. So what happens? We begin to worry about and without reason, thereby depleting our resources when we need it. And when real danger comes, we do not have the strength to fight it. Therefore, it is important to divide your anxiety into adaptive and maladaptive. Adaptive anxiety always leads to problem solving and helps you function better in the world. Anxiety also arises in response to a real problem. Maladaptive anxiety is incommensurate with the source of the threat. Moreover, it does not lead to a solution and the person walks in circles, exhausting himself. It is important to distinguish where your worry is useful and where it is not. This is where CBT and work with thinking and behavior comes to your aid.3. Cause of symptoms of VSD Symptoms of VSD arise as a result of psycho-emotional stress. And your psycho-emotional stress is caused, in turn, by your attitude to what is happening. Moreover, you can enhance your symptoms by interpreting them. By thinking that you are dying or going crazy, you frighten yourself, which leads to a surge of adrenaline.4. Accepting anxiety Don't try to fight your condition. The more you try to suppress anxiety and symptoms in your body, the more they appear. A mechanism for the formation of secondary anxiety occurs.5. Acceptance is not about agreement Accepting anxiety does not mean agreeing with it, coming to terms with it and not trying to do anything about your condition. Accepting anxiety means accepting the reality that exists at the moment. At the moment you are in an anxious state, your experiences are absolutely normal and natural. You have a right to how you feel. All your experiences are fair and appropriate in this situation. At the same time, they make you feel uncomfortable and indicate that there is some problem that needs to be solved. Instead of fighting anxiety, you need to work with the source of anxiety.6. What can you really control? One of the problems of anxious people is that they try to control what they cannot control and are permissive towards those things that they can actually influence. Make two lists: things you control and things you don't control. Try to direct your attention to those things that you can influence. You do not control the end result, other people, physiological reactions, force majeure, accidents, but you can choose what you do and what to do. Focus on what really matters to you and start taking at least minimal steps. Sports, nutrition, good sleep, adherence to a work and rest schedule - what you can do today.7. Limiting disturbing things Your life is so full of anxiety, try to dose out additional sources of your stress. News, discussion of disturbing topics,0