There's something to be said for letting yourself feel the anxiety, but also aggressively creating too, so anxiety is not always at the foreground of your mind every minute of every day, but only surfaces when it needs to in fight-or-flight mode in certain situations. There's no need to be anxious when there's no real threat and circumstances around you are calm.

I like the visualization technique. I think it should then be followed by actualization, actually creating the positive thing that you visualized. The satisfaction found in actualization, as long as it's a positive thing, that helps you and helps others, is greatly empowering as well as just plain fun.

I think when you allow yourself to feel the anxiety, it is important to think of it like this: I am feeling anxiety - I am not the anxiety. Kind of like you are observing it, making space between you and the anxiety. Not reacting to it, not accepting it as being who and what you are. Sometimes it can get you in touch with the stillness deep down inside, when you can observe the anxiety as something you are going through, and not letting it define you. If that makes any sense.

You just have to keep going and living your life in spite of the anxiety. Believe me I know it's hard but if you keep going it will get better.

I let myself feel the anxiety in that I don't worry about trying to control it or calm myself - letting go of worrying about the anxiety works well for me although I have to remind myself the whole time to do it. When I stop trying to control the anxiety I feel so much more relaxed and able to do whatever is making me anxious. Somebody once told me that worrying about a fear is more exhausting than the fear itself and I agree with her.

I have to accept the anxiety so that it can wash through me and get out the other side. I have to give it my attention, sit with it. have a cup of tea with it and just listen.

to carry on with the work I think won't remove the anxiety. I feel the anxiety until I actually pay it some attention, accept it and ask it what it's trying to say. And when it has said what it's got to offer, I might tell it 'okay, you have a point, that is dangerous so I will investigate it' or else 'no, that's bollocks. You're winding yourself up for nothing.' And either way, it kind of releases. I get the worst anxiety when I am having the memory of something forced on me, and I really don't want to have to cope with it, so I am trying not to pay it any attention.

So that's how I go nowadays. I confront my fears. I check my facts.

But have you been tested for MTHFR gene mutation? Because I'm wondering if you have it. You have anxiety you can't counsel your way out of. It's a cheap test, and it's a biological anxiety that you can't fix with any amount of confronting or resolving or analysis or acceptance. You have to be diagnosed, and be given a cheap vitamin supplement. And then it's sorted.

I try to see my anxiety like a cold...it's something other than me that is now temporarily defining me. Sometimes when you have a cold, you can baby it, snuggle up on the couch and sip chicken soup while watching TV, you just ARE sick at the moment, and that's ok to feel...other times you need to pump yourself full of Day-Quil and push through.

But I also agree with bridgie, sometimes anxiety needs some undivided attention. I imagine it like a toddler having a tantrum...you have to get down on it's level, and speak calmly, saying things like "Use your words" and "Tell me what hurts."

I feel like that's what my therapist does when I'm out of whack...seems to work very well actually :)

I think of what I will do, what I can do, in a true life-and-death negative situation. Fight or flight. If I can fight, I'll fight. If I can't fight, I will flight. can't fight or flight, then I have to resign myself to I will die. And I've made peace with dying too. I already have a relationship with my maker, who I will embrace, and know my brother who has already passed on is there too, who I will embrace. This has come in very useful every time I get on a plane to fly somewhere and in light of the shootings that keep happening.

Does anyone have any advise for me. I am not new too anxiety and have suffered for many many years, just about all my life. Some times are better than others as most of you well know. My son and husband (and I do too) want to travel about five hours from our house by car for a week to a vacation spot I have been too many times before. It is about a month away and I have been feeling extreme anxiety. It is supposed to be for vacation, and I am doing my whole thing about getting sick, the anxiety symptoms, panic. I am at the point I want to cancel but I don't want to let my family down. They have been dealing with me for years too. I just want to be able to have my mind and body in sync for once and be excited instead of dreadful. I suffer anxiety every day but can avoid certain things which I won't be able to do by traveling. Any helpful advise. I have so many physical symptoms. All classic but some of the new ones are I am afraid I am going to have a stroke. I get such much tension in my back and spine and it always feels like the right side of my body is weak. I know it is anxiety. Any helpful advise would be appreciated.

I apologize for typos and grammer in previous post.

Grammar... I do take prescribed medicine for anxiety and depression. They do help but do not alleviate all symptoms. I just want to be able to take the logical advise of just flow with it, nothing will harm me, I will be ok, it will pass, but it is not that easy. I do not want to cancel but my anxiety has been elevated.

Sandy7777, at least once a year I have to take a flying trips, a long one of about 9 hours and I'm petrified of flying. So I take something I can plug into, podcasts on my cell phone as in music or inspirational stuff that I like (Joyce Meyer) and that does help to take my mind off what is happening outside. Hope somebody else can comment with other ideas for you.

I am not sure if this will help you but this is something I like to do. I allow myself to feel the anxiety and I acknowledge it. I come up with the sentence of what is making me anxious then I come up with a mantra. It could be simple like everything will be okay and take a deep breath or it could be specific to that anxiety. For example, I get very anxious about a physical test coming up. I think I am going to fail and never succeed so when that thought comes up, I am prepared with a a positive calming sentence. I hope that helps xo