Hey guys. Welcome to Not Another Anxiety Show. I'm your host, Kelly Walker, and today I'll be sharing a short and sweet experiment you can try anywhere.

Keep in mind, this experiment is a learning opportunity. It's not meant to eliminate or decrease

anxiety in the moment. The anxiety may diminish a bit in that moment, and that's certainly nice

when it does, but the goal of the experiment is to work with the anxiety in a new way. We are so used to doing

everything in our power to avoid feeling any anxiety. But learning to work with anxiety when it shows up

not only interrupts the anxiety cycle, but also slowly but surely breaks down the anxiety habit.

And this is a cumulative change.

Sort of like how you hope to have a six-pack after one gym session, but, you know, really it takes several.

So next time you have a really unsettling thought, something that stirs up a lot of emotional

and even physical discomfort, I want you to repeat that very thought 30 times.

It's best if you can do it out loud or write it on paper. That gives us a little bit more

distance, but in a pinch you can also repeat the thought to yourself silently.

When you're done repeating this thought 30 times, what do you notice?

Do you feel less reactive by the end?

Or maybe more reactive?

Or perhaps you felt more reactive than not reactive at all?

Were you bored by the end of this experiment?

What was it like when you tried this experiment a second time?

The exact same or something different?

Remember, it's a pleasant side effect when this exercise diminishes anxiety.

That'll happen.

But the goal is to work with anxiety in a new way.

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