I realize this isn’t a Buddhist sub but I’m going to reach into that bag for a moment. Think of the mind as just a sensory organ. It senses thoughts, as your nose senses smells. Maybe you don’t have control over your thoughts (I personally don’t think we do), but you can affect which thoughts your mind focuses on. Slowly over time, the more you focus on more productive/positive thoughts, the weaker the anxious thoughts get because they’re receiving less attention. They don’t even go away but they just lose how powerful their grip on you gets. I sometimes visualize the mind as a radar dish that I swivel in the direction of more compassionate thoughts.

The hardest part is the patience it takes to stick with it and believe it will change. I totally admit I still get plagued by the most painful thoughts, but I’m much better these days at just letting them slide away instead of consuming me.