Our younger son, Tim, was in his senior year of high school.Every student is madly trying to get good __1__ and complete college applications.There was an essay he had to write and the __2___was drawing near.We’re good parents.We do our best at keeping our___3__ shut — whenever possible.Tim knew what he should do, but he had a tendency to __4__ anything.Weekend homework was never done until Sunday night, no matter how much free time there might have been.
I knew I shouldn’t __5__ him, but I really worried.So I said in an offhand (随便的) way, “By the way, Tim, have you worked on that essay you’re __6__ to do？” Tim, in his __7__ way, looked at me and said, “Mom, your anxiety is not going to make me get it done any faster” — a line that has been __8__ in family memory forever.Tim hit on something that seems __9__ truer today than when he first said it.Our anxiety doesn’t make us faster or more efficient. __10__， it simply makes us more anxious.
It seems so __11__， and yet, something I easily forget.When I closed my eyes on the subway train, my anxiety was the first thing to __12__.It was surprisingly loud: “You need to do this! Have you worried about that? What about that？” I __13__ to open my eyes quickly, take out my phone and send an email __14__ put down something in my calendar.I forgot I should deal with my anxiety rather than be __15__ by it.
We should keep our anxiety under __16__.How can we have the courage to face __17__ if we worry about this and that? When our anxiety comes up, we should keep our eyes closed and say to ourselves that __18__ will be much better and we can make it through.As long as we __19__ dealing with anxiety every day, it will become less and less till it disappears __20__.
