Very recently I have found myself under lots of pressure at my work.
There have been some changes made at the very top, which has led to senior managers running around, a bit like headless chickens, trying to make a good impressions and where necessary, cover their backside.
Of course, I have become anxious about what the changes may bring.
If I am personally affected by changes and even lose my job, then I am not in a position to sit back and rely on savings or mortgage free status.
Financially speaking, I would be in a lot of trouble if the worse were to happen.
The economic climate throughout most countries in the world is clearly far from ideal, with mass unemployment and in the UK, promise of huge budget cuts in the public sector, which will have a knock on effect on the private sector as well.
I have surprised myself that although I have felt very anxious about the situation, I have not allowed my feelings to take over as would have been the case just a few months back.
I know I would have got t the point of worrying to an extent where things would have got out of control.
I have read in several publications that one of the major steps an anxiety sufferer can make to help begin to overcome the illness, is to understand that our reaction to anxiety has been 'learned' through experience, as a defence mechanism.
A useful analogy I have read as to the reason why some people let anxiety and fear control their lives, is to driving a car.
Once we have learned to drive a car and had years of experience, behind a wheel, do we actually think about the process of driving? The answer is no.
We drive almost in a sub-conscious state, without thinking.
It has become 'natural' to us.
The same is true with anxiety.
We have learned to worry and to be anxious when exposed to the factors that cause us anxiety.
I accept that I over-react to stress and will then as a result of anxiety, worry to a point where I begin to get depressed.
What I need to do is try and unlearn this behaviour.
I have learned that the key to unlearning the automated response to stress is to accept the bad thoughts and negative feelings in my head.
Just by understanding the process, it has helped me to become far less anxious than I would have just a few months ago.
I'm not saying that I like the prospect of what may happen if the worst case scenario were to occur.
But at least now I have learned to control the anxiety to a tolerable level.