14 Don’t Let A nxiety Run Your Life
help you reduce and manage your anxiety symptoms by
using interventions that have a scientific basis. Each chapter
is based on original yet enduring psychological science, all
of which has implications for how you mindfully manage
your emotions in an effort to manage your anxious mood.
We will present the information in an understandable way,
and we will explain how to apply the scientific concepts to
your everyday life. Many books talk about how understand-
ing emotions can be helpful or offer tips to reduce anxiety,
but this book will explain the strong connection between
anxiety and emotions and how regulating your emotions in
a mindful way can help you make significant improvements
in your everyday life, including your social interactions,
your work obligations, and your family responsibilities.
Each chapter presents a series of skills that will help you
think and respond differently to your anxiety. Very often,
people’s habitual ways of dealing with problems or certain
situations breed anxiety. On the other hand, some of the
habits you have developed to manage your anxiety probably
work exceedingly well. W hen you notice that a particular
management strategy works well for you, be sure to note this
in a journal or on your mobile device and use that strategy in
the future. As for the habits that don’t work well for you, we
intend to help you break them while also developing skills
that will be more helpful and effective in managing your
a n x iet y.
If you truly want to outsmart your anxiety, you will find
this book valuable for its examination of various psychologi-
cal theories on anxiety and their links to emotions and
certain automatic ways of thinking. We will teach you how
and when to pay attention to your anxiety, how to react with
less intensity to your anxious emotions, and what to do when