# Mindsets of anxiety There are a few general ways that anxiety can manifest. - Perfectionism - Over-responsibility - Intolerance of uncertainty When you're feeling anxious about something, it's important to ask yourself, "What about this is *actually* dangerous?" The amygdala is a primal part of the brain, an important part of your survival instincts as a human. The role of the amygdala is to create the train of thought: 1. Is it dangerous? 2. How can we handle it? From there, we can: - Go into a safety strategy (usually avoidance, something from the broader category of fight, flight, or freeze) - Lean into the stressor. When you begin acting on a safety strategy, your brain records the event, and your amygdala will become more sensitive to it, triggering those feelings of anxiety. How do we break that cycle of anxiety? - Become aware of what your amygdala is detecting, is it a thought, or physical sensation? Sometimes when we get very anxious, it can overwhelm our coping mechanisms. The Safe Calm Place