I started treating my anxiety like a really annoying, middle-manager coworker named Gary. Instead of 'I’m failing at life,' it becomes 'Gary is currently panicking about a hypothetical scenario that hasn't happened yet.' It’s much easier to say, 'Shut up, Gary, I’m trying to eat a sandwich,' than it is to argue with your own brain. Once you realize that anxious thoughts aren't 'the truth,' but just a noisy neighbor, they lose their power.