Anxiety is a rotten thief that tries to steal our happiness away, and anxiety can only occur when you're not focused on something that advances your life from the smallest thing like making your bed and then look at the progress and it feels good. (I had to learn the hard way and I suffered SEVERELY! My anxiety got so terrible that I had to be admitted to the hospital. I found that keeping busy doing anything at all helps. ANYTHING CONSTRUCTIVE

When I feel the anxiety starting, I consider it a challenge and a fight that I must win, (This takes a real creative effort) I try to quickly focus on anything (one of my hobbies like drawing, logging onto 7Cups, Playing a few games of chess online, etc. Nothing hard but maybe looking at your cellphone's photo gallery, or looking / reading through old text messages and maybe sending a text with a creatively edited photo. I use 7Cups as a distraction often (which is what brought me here tonight). When our thoughts are blank, the anxiety sneaks in, but when we are focused on something (Productive, Practical, Positive and/or creative), it diverts our attention and hence we no longer are paying attention to anxiety. Learn to hate anxiety and start finding creative distractions and look for ways like singing out-loud, or listening to the radio while sketching a silly doodle, or doing a crossword puzzle. I write poems about my anxiety also. I make little to do lists so I can keep my thoughts directed at progress in my life. Keep it simple and give yourself a lot of self care!