realistic less emotional light This kind of reflection puts you in control of your thoughts instead of your thoughts controlling you Then no longer reacting to unrealistic thinking that only ramps up your anxiety Use this exercise when you become aware experiencing anxiety so you can get better at catching your thoughts early before they mushroom This strategy also helps when revisiting an anxious moment after the fact Identify a stream that brings about anxiety for you What the hardest thing about this What your fear in this What your imagined What thoughts were running through your mind during the event or after or even now as you revisit Rate how much you believe each of these thoughts a 1 to 10 scale with 1 being you believe it at all and 10 being you believe it completely Come back to this exercise in a day or two or even a few hours and revisit how much you believe these thoughts now When Your Thoughts Work Against You When caught up in anxious thinking our thoughts feel entirely real and accurate and so they keep us keyed up In truth the anxious mind so good at differentiating the real from