When I’m experiencing a particularly intense emotion, I try to first step outside of it and look at the actual facts of the situation. If I’m feeling anxious about something I’ll recognize that the situation itself is not a dangerous one. I may feel uncomfortable about going to a party but I’m not going to be physically harmed while I’m there. I’m not going to have my arm chopped off by a fellow party guest. Maybe I’ll embarrass myself at worst. But I like to picture embarrassment as a stout little man who comes and unpacks his briefcase in my mind for an hour or two. He’s a bother but he
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