We can't just "switch off" anxiety. Instead, we can...

Anxiety is a coping mechanism that was formed in childhood to help us navigate tricky situations by always expecting and preparing ourselves for difficult outcomes.

When we try to just switch it off or ignore it, our anxious parts feel ignored and become even louder. Therefore, as opposed to trying to quiet our anxiety, observing it with curiosity and compassion can help it to feel heard. Our anxious parts start to feel that they don't need to shout to be heard any more. And that they don't need to fight to communicate their worries.

We can thank our anxiety for trying to keep us safe and explain to it that we already are safe and that we don't need for it to protect us anymore in this way.

Enquiring into why we might feel anxious and letting our anxious parts know that they are loved, that we hear them, and that we are in fact safe, can help soothe them.