Have you ever experienced a time when you realized that what you were so anxious about was created more in your mind than what was actually real? Many of us do, nearly all the time.  Anxiety is a concern or worry about past or future events, taking from our personal power in the moment. How much of it is legitimate? Especially since anxiety and fear are normal human responses to certain conditions.

This article will give you some tips on how to discern real and legitimate anxiety from made up. You'll learn some important questions to ask when anxiety has caused too much discomfort. You'll also understand what you need to do in order to reduce anxiety.

The first thing to understand is that anxiety is mostly made up in the mind, but it's powerful, and often dominates many of the thoughts. Anxiety is natural and normal. At any given time, in any situation, someone may be experiencing anxiety. It's common, catchy, and it's controlling. Our minds attract to it. Sometimes, even crave it.

Anxiety does have some positive attributes though. For some people, it's inspiration to take action. It also triggers a "fight or flight" response to fear, which can keep us out of danger.

You will want anxiety for certain situations, especially if you tend to procrastinate. If you do, anxiety will get you up and doing something, helping you achieve accomplishments.  You'll worry enough about the anticipated result that it will motivate you to do something about it.

But many people get a bit more anxious about things than what they need to. If you become overpowered by anxiety, it will hinder you from being able to fulfill daily functions. It will victimize you, and sometimes, cause the feeling of helplessness.

When you are victimized by anxiety, your mind is working against you. This is the point where anxiety is no longer legitimate. This is also the time where you will want to start doing something about it.

In order to recognize how much of anxiety is legitimate, first notice how familiar your thoughts are. Do they race in your mind, over and over again? If they are very recognizable and/or predictable, your mind is creating more of the madness than what really exists.

Once you have tracked the thoughts to determine how familiar they are, ask yourself the question "how is this serving me?" If in response, you feel a sense of panic or more anxiety, your body is telling you that it's not at all serving you and your mind has overreacted to the anxiety.

You can also ask yourself "Is this really me?" You'll get an answer that will help you discern what's legitimate or not. The crucial thing about this question is that you'll need to be honest with yourself. If you are, you'll most likely get an answer that your mind has been playing tricks on you.

Do you want your power back? Want to feel calm and relaxed?

Illegitimate anxiety is created in the mind and you can do things to regain control over the unnecessary thoughts. You will need to use the power of your imagination to create thoughts and images that help you calm down. Remember your imagination? You can use it to relax yourself.

Doing things to be more present is the key to reclaiming your power and releasing anxiety. Anxiety is mostly about the past and future. Constantly reminding yourself to be more present will help you regulate and reduce unnecessary anxiety created in the mind.

Reid Peterson has a C.M.T. certification (certified massage therapist)   and is a AMTA associate member. You can also find out more about Reid and get more help with anxiety and meditation by visiting  www.manifestcreations.net and reading his blog at http://www.manifestcreations.wordpress.com