Wonderful post on another list, with some advice on how to cope
with anxiety. Hey, I'm as angst-ridden as anyone I know and I'm
losing ground fast. Now that I know I'm Aspie, I'm treating myself
with kid gloves and not demanding as much of me as I used to.

Take a look at this suggestion for journaling as a useful tool.

I'm debating giving credit to the author, but I think that is a breach
of etiquette. Bad enough I'm moving the info from one list to this,
but I am afraid I'll not remember it all... and I need this tool. -Zer

--------- Here's what my Aspie guru gave to me today: ----------
> > > ...I kept a written journal (tangible was best for me at the
time) , where every day I would keep a journal.
In that journal I had,
1) the day's activities.
2) the positive and the negative of the day.
3) analysis of the most negative,
--i.e., "today I panicked when we went to Home Depot",
-- When did my panic take over?
-- What was the worst that could have happened?
-- after this mental 'worse that could have happened',
-- what else would happen?
-- Did the world crumble?
-- Did I survive it?"

Of course, the end result was yes, I survived it....
no, the world did not crumble.

So, I would take that, and write it in my ACCOMPLISHMENT
side--the training of my mind being, I took my panic, and
changed the actual outcome into the positive.

Then, I would make a list of what I wanted to accomplish the next
day. I would try to accomplish at least two things out of the list.

Then next day, I would start over, and mark down on the page of
before what I was able to accomplish. This journal helped me
immensely..... I still keep it, I just haven't needed it. < < <
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Isn't that a marvelous tool to have at one's disposal? I think so!
I'm going to see if this helps me break free of the anxiety that
immobilizes me. Fear is an awful thing. So, I'm journaling! -Zer