Anxiety, stopping fear getting a hold

Stopping fear getting a hold

So the other evening I was sat in traffic for hours. This would for many years have created a huge amount of anxiety in me. However, I have learned that if I distract myself, tell myself that 'traffic can not last forever, we simply have to sit it out until it moves', and answer every 'what if?' thought with a sensible reasoned response, I can actually keep a lid on my anxiety before it escalates to far.

I, just as most anxiety sufferers, get bombarded with 'what if?' thoughts, that can spark a panic attack.

Some examples of the sort of thoughts I have are: 

'What if the traffic is here for hours?'

Now this thought used to trigger horrifying scenarios being played out in my head, my brain would quickly answer 'I couldn't cope', or 'I would go mad.' 

Now, before I react in this way, I answer the question with a rational response. At first when I practised this I used to think how would my husband (or any other rational person I could think of) answer this question? As I wasn't able to do this for myself. Now of course, after years of training the thoughts are my own.

Rational answer: 'Then we catch the end of the gig, or go home - better we do that in a calm way, that sit here worrying about it.'

I get very scared of being trapped incase I am sick - weird one I know! But we all have our own things... So a question my anxiety usually asks me is:

'What if I get sick?'

Again, this would have gone down the road of: Vomiting, dehydration, fainting, inability to cope, ridicule.... However now I can tell myself:

'Well if I am sick I find something to catch it in and be sick, but as I haven't been sick in 12 years it is highly unlikely that will happen.'