Placing unreasonable demands on myself leads to self-resentment and thus anxiety. The more I learn, through practice, that everything I need to be “OK”, I already posses within me, the more peaceful I find myself. The less my self-worth is based on validation from forces outside myself, the less anxiety I feel.

The tool of writing everything down I have found to be invaluable. It’s amazing how much stuff we get running around in our head…. when I take an inventory of my thoughts, fears, wants, etc. and right them down, I’m amazed that I can have all of that swirling around in my head–and in my head they have a tendency to get blown WAY out of proportion! Writing them down and possibly sharing them with someone else helps me get perspective on them, which in turn allows me to take appropriate action on them if needed.

Great post. Thanks!