Anxiety helps us meet our deadlines at work / and deal with emergencies in life, / but when this anxiety emotion / is taken to the extreme / and arises in situations which don't pose a real threat, / then that's when you might have an anxiety disorder. // For example, / people with generalized anxiety disorder worry excessively and constantly about everything going on in their lives, / and they find it very difficult to control this worry. // They also have symptoms like restlessness, / fear, / they find it hard to fall asleep at night, / and they can't concentrate on tasks. // Now, / in spite of / whatever kind of anxiety / you might be suffering from, / there is something that you can do / to lower it. // It works, / and it's simpler / than you may think. // All too often, we're given medication for mental disorders, / but it doesn't always work in the long run. // Symptoms often come back, / and you're back to where you started. // So here's something else to consider: / the way you cope / or handle things / has a direct impact on how much anxiety you're experiencing, / and if you tweak the way you're coping, then you / can lower / your anxiety. // In our study at the University of Cambridge, / we showed that women living in poor areas / have a higher risk for anxiety than women living in richer areas. // These results didn't surprise us, / but when we looked closer, / we found that women living in poor areas, / if they had a particular set of coping resources, / they didn't have anxiety, / while women living in poor areas without these coping resources / had anxiety. //. Other studies showed that people who had faced extreme circumstances, / who had faced adversity, / been through wars and natural disasters, / if they had coping resources, / they remained healthy and free of mental disorders, / while others, / facing the same hardships / but without coping skills went on a downward spiral / and developed mental disorders. / So / what are / some of these coping resources, / and how can we use them / to lower our anxiety? // And before I dive into what they are, / I'd like to point out / - and I think this is so interesting / - you / can develop / these coping resources or coping skills / on your own through the things that you do; / you can take charge of your anxiety and lower it, which I think is so empowering. // Today I'll be talking about three coping resources, / and the first one is feeling like you're in control of your life. // People who feel / like they're more in control of their life / have better mental health. // If you feel like you're lacking in control in life, / then research shows that you should engage in experiences that give you greater control. // I'll show you what I mean: / do you sometimes find that you put off starting something because you just don't feel ready enough? / Do you find it hard to make decisions like what to wear, / what to eat, / who to date, / which job to take up? // Do you tend to waste a lot of time / deciding what you might do while nothing gets done? // A way to overcome indecision and this lack of control in life, / is to do it badly. //