Anxiety causes a range of automatic thoughts and assumptions:

Overestimating threats – “He still hasn’t responded to my email. He’s mad and news will spread that I’m a terrible person.”

Underestimating our ability to cope – “I won’t be able to handle it”

The belief that anxiety is dangerous – “If this anxiety continues, I might lose control or go crazy.”

The belief that worrying is always productive – “Worrying keeps bad things from happening.”

Most of the time, these thoughts happen beneath our awareness and aren’t explicit. When this happens, they go unexamined, we can’t challenge them, and they become hidden drivers of our behaviors. They lead to avoidance and escaping behaviors, which reinforce anxiety.

The goal is not to get rid of these thoughts, because it’s not possible. The goal is to increase our awareness of them and practice challenging them or not engaging with them.

Just like any skill worth learning, it takes time, repetition, and not aiming for perfection.