I suffer from anxiety and depression since I am a kid. Some ideas and simple techniques really helped me heal and have a better life. I would like to share it with you, and also head **what is that piece of wisdom that helps you in your hard times.** 

 

* **We all suffer from anxiety**. You are not alone. Welcome.
* **It is not true that you need a certain level of anxiety to function in today´s world.** 
* Repeat three times every time you start worrying about something: "**probably this is not** ***that*** **important**".
* **You don't need anxiety to solve problems**. Actually, it is the other way around: anxiety prevents you to plan and evaluate options. 
* **Love the relief.** When anxiety dissipates and you feel happy and relaxed, take a moment and save that feeling in your memory. The next time you feel anxious, remember that. 
* **You get addicted to becoming anxious**. The mechanism is simple but powerful: most of the challenges in your life will just dissipate alone or are not really that important. If you worry every time, you get to believe that your anxiety is the cause of the solution to those challenges. It is not the case. Don't get fooled by this false causality.  
* **You can recover from being addicted to anxiety with a simple process.** Every time you get anxious, don't fight it. Observe the feeling. Then, when the anxiety dissipates, recognize that your state of anxiety was not the actual cause of the solution; say it. The next time your anxiety will be weaker. It takes several iterations, and eventually, you just abandon the habit.
* **Create something with your hands**. Draw, paint, fix a window or do some gardening. 
* **You are not your thoughts**. In particular, you are not your thoughts when anxious. You are much more. 
* **Acknowledge the really important**: you are alive and there is tomorrow. The rest is less important.
* **When you have an anxiety attack, let it run and focus on a slow but steady return to a calm state.**  Disengage from your anxious thoughts, and let something mundane and calm invade your mind. 
* **You can have anxiety cravings**. Many times your anxiety starts with a desire for anxiety. 
* **Make it better on the outside**: clean the room, wash the dishes, take a shower and make the bed. 
* **It's a marathon, not a sprint.** 
* **Fake it till you make it**: when anxious, if possible, go outside and do something you would normally do when calmed and relaxed. You will probably forget about your anxiety after a while.
* **Don't worry about future events that you can't control.** Those challenges do not exist. 
* **Tomorrow you will deal with tomorrow's challenges, not today.** 
* **The word-cloud technique**. If something very concrete is triggering you, visualize that word in your mind, surrounded by other words that represent things you don't care about or you don't worry about. Start with the triggering word in bold, and with a much larger size than the others. Then, visualize how that word becomes smaller and eventually blends with all the others. Repeat until you feel relaxed.
* **Be pragmatic**. You don't have to become inherently anxiety-free. In most cases, managing the triggers and the level of response is enough.
* **Become an eye in the sky.** Observe yourself; the next time you have an anxiety attack, reserve a small fraction of your consciousness to view the scene from above. You will see a person that does not need to suffer that way. Acknowledge, and be kind. 
* **Name three good things you have in your life.** 
* **Contemplate something beautiful** and don't think of anything else for a while.
* **Go to the gym, run, take walks.** Exercise is marvelous. But it takes time to acknowledge and understand the impact it has on your anxiety. Give it time, and stick to a routine for a couple of weeks. 
* **Learn to live in silence**. Those voices have to go. Takes time. But you can do it. 
* **It is a process.** One step at a time. 
* **Accept yourself. Be patient. Be kind.** 

this also leaves [here](https://sites.google.com/view/thecalmsite/)