60 Don’t Let A nxiety Run Your Life
thoughts surface, there’s no need to regard them as impor-
tant signs or as conveying some special meaning about you.
So if, during a social interaction, you are suddenly concerned
about the meaning of your sweaty palms, you can remember
that it would be incorrect to interpret physical symptoms of
anxiety as proof that you are unable to successfully negotiate
this social situation or that people will perceive you in a neg-
ative light. Finally, negative thoughts, such as concern about
the meaning of your sweaty palms, don’t necessitate a
response. They are simply part of the normal course of
events that constitutes your mental life. You can just let them
be, and they will pass. Fostering this mindful approach
toward attention will diminish the likelihood that you will
engage in worry and rumination.
Outsmarting Anxiety with Skills
Development and Practice
As we have discussed throughout this chapter, it’s important
for you to pay attention to your emotions, but how you do
this will be key to better modulating and outsmarting your
anxiety. To adopt both a nonjudgmental and a nonreactive
stance toward your emotions, we encourage the use of
mindfulness.
As discussed in chapter 1, mindfulness is often referred
to as a psychological state of awareness that entails paying
attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present
moment, and without judgment or reaction (Kabat- Zinn
1994). It’s characterized as a nonjudgmental and nonreac-
tive form of attention to your present- moment experiences,