The Key: Creating Space Before Reaction

The real shift happens when you stop reacting.

But how do you do that when anxiety feels so overwhelming?

It starts with creating a small gap — a tiny space between the moment anxiety or a strong thought arises and the moment you would normally react.

You build this space through regular practice:
by becoming more aware, staying present, and observing yourself without immediately believing what you think or feel.

You can gently ask yourself:

"Is what I’m thinking really true?"
"Is it really necessary to react to this feeling?"

This simple awareness helps you stay rooted instead of getting swept away.
It allows you to see the anxious thought or emotion without becoming it.

At first, the time span between the trigger and your reaction might be almost invisible.
But with practice, the gap gets bigger.
And in that gap lies your freedom.

This approach isn’t just for your thoughts — it works just as powerfully for emotions like fear.

An Example: Unhooking Fear from the Story

Imagine someone who was bullied in the past.
Now, whenever she goes to a party or steps into a new group of people, she feels a rush of fear and anxiety.
Her mind immediately creates a story:

"They won’t like me."
"I’ll make a fool of myself."
"No one will want to talk to me."

If she follows that story, it can snowball quickly into worst-case scenarios — complete movies in her head about rejection, humiliation, and isolation.
The fear grows bigger and might even lead to a panic attack.

But if she catches the emotion early — and unhooks it from the story — she can stay grounded.
She can recognize:

"This is just fear rising up. It's just a feeling. I don't have to believe what my mind is telling me."

By not going along with the story, she allows the fear to be there without feeding it.
And without a story to cling to, the fear naturally loses its grip.

Breaking Free from the Addiction to Stories

Many people don’t realize how deeply they’ve become attached to their stories.
The mind’s old patterns can feel so familiar, so normal, that letting them go can seem almost impossible — even when those stories are the very thing causing their suffering.

It’s important to understand:
This attachment didn’t happen overnight, and unhooking from it won’t always happen overnight either.
Sometimes, it takes time even to want to let the stories go — because they can feel like part of who we are.

But if we keep holding onto them, the suffering will continue.
The cycle will keep repeating.

The beautiful truth is:
You don't have to solve everything at once.
You only need to start noticing — gently, patiently — when the mind is pulling you into an old story.
Every time you see it and choose not to react, you are already stepping into more freedom.

Even the smallest shift matters.
It’s a journey back to who you truly are — peaceful, free, and already whole underneath it all.

And every moment you remember that, you are already on your way.