Many people are anxious and/or depressed, yet they don't understand why. I am a person that is currently working towards overcoming anxiety (and occasional mild-depression). I've found that with awareness (i.e. mindfulness of thought) a lot of cognition was going on "behind the scenes" that I was unaware of. Not only did I notice a lot of worrying going on, but the worrying is just plain irrational. This is the key, I believe, to overcoming problematic thinking (which is the typical cause of anxiety and depression). In other words, the problem is the habitual fear-based thinking that is typically irrational. Irrational thoughts based on reality can be indistinguishable from reality without awareness and logical breaking-down of the thoughts. The key is to just listen to your thoughts. When a worrying thought passes by your awareness, proverbially grab onto it and observe it through the lens of logical thinking. I've also found it helpful to write down my thoughts to organize them, and then take those thoughts and break down why those thoughts are fictitious. Reality doesn't cause anxiety disorders and depression, thoughts do. It's as simple as getting your thoughts together, but just because something is simple, doesn't make it easy. I know very well that overcoming irrational thinking isn't easy, but it's certainly a worthy endeavour.
This is all food for thought, it's not intended to substitute professional help. But when it comes to overcoming anxiety and depression, knowing is half the battle.
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