Q. I’ve heard you speak...and the process of completing a personal Loss Line has been very helpful. Is there something like that for anxiety?

A. Worry and anxiety cause stress to the brain and can trigger the stress response. When initiated frequently or unnecessarily, the stress response can suppress immune system function and increase one’s risk for illness and diseases.

Just as creating a Loss Line has been landmark in assisting people to identify, grieve, and from personal losses, large and small, developing an Anxiety Grid may help individuals to identify, label, describe, and manage their worry and anxiety in a new way. There is no “magic form,” that I know of. The process is what can be helpful. Some brains need medication to help decrease the anxiety loop. However, simply taking medication without cognitive work may be a bit like taking insulin without living a healthier longevity lifestyle and expecting it to “take care of diabetes,” as one person put it. Following is an example to get you started.

Anxiety Grid