The more you pay attention to the trigger, the worse you’ll feel.
The science:
For a new study, people looked at a series of negative images depicting things like bloody faces. Some were instructed to look at the main subject in each photo while others were told to look at the background details. The people who focused on the neutral elements had less severe emotional reactions.
You can use the same strategy to keep anxiety at bay, says study author Sanda Dolcos, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Expert insight:
In threatening situations, people with anxiety tend to zero in on the perceived threat and ignore everything else, Dolcos says. Someone who feels uneasy about flying, for example, will focus on the shaking of the plane when there’s turbulence and forget about the movie they’re watching or the book they’re reading.
Directing your attention in that way only fuels negative emotions, Dolcos notes.
The bottom line:
To ease anxiety on the spot, focus on your surroundings—like the music, decor, or the people around you—rather than the trigger itself.
Better yet, instead of honing in on something neutral, choose a positive element like a friendly face or the bouquet of flowers on the table. This will make calm even easier to come by, Dolcos says.