Anxiety is a natural emotion that arises in new, unfamiliar situations and situations of uncertainty. Anxiety gradually decreases naturally if the situation is calm. So, when sitting behind the wheel of a car for the first time, a novice driver can feel his heart pounding, his hands clutching the steering wheel, all his muscles tense and his palms sweating. And in my thoughts it may occur that now I won’t succeed, and suddenly I’ll get into an accident. If you start driving slowly, then each time the feeling of anxiety will gradually decrease, thanks to repetitions of the driving situation. Where does anxiety come from? Anxiety intensifies and becomes stable due to thoughts that... the situation is threatening a catastrophe, and the most terrible consequences are inevitable, I am helpless and I can’t handle the situation, I can’t stand it, it’s better to stay safe and avoid new experiences, the fact that I’m worried so much means that the situation is really very dangerous. Anxiety for feeling anxious. 4 Steps to Deal with Anxiety Anxiety decreases with experience. You can help yourself by rethinking the alarming situation. Here are four steps for self-help. If you are worried, please respond in writing to the questions below. 1. The risk is acceptable. What exactly am I afraid of? What is the actual risk of disaster? How bad can the consequences be? 2. I am able to cope with the situation. How can I successfully cope with the situation? What effective ways have I used in other situations to cope? What do other people do in similar situations? 3. You can gradually overcome your fear, and you can start now. Tell yourself: “I can act at my own comfortable pace, I can stop, I can take a step back if necessary.” The more practice, the less anxiety. 4. Be gentle with yourself, it’s normal to worry. Remind yourself: it’s normal that I worry. There is no need to avoid or suppress physical sensations. Evening out your breathing, feeling your feet resting on the ground, finding islands of safety and calm inside and outside - this is what helps you get through anxiety. Take care of yourself in advance If you know that you are prone to anxiety and worries, write yourself supportive cards with kind words in advance so that you can take them out and read them out loud during an exciting time. “I’m with you”, “It’s normal to worry, you can handle it”, “I’m here for you, no matter what happens”, “the risk is acceptable”, “I’ll take care of you”, “act by listening to yourself” and so on.