Dealing with Anxiety: Seneca and Adam Savage

One of the better ideas I've gotten from Alain de Botton is his description of Seneca's guide to anger:

As with most of the videos in this series, I find their most applicable use in areas other than their target.  Here, instead of appreciating this as a guide to anger, I see it better as a guide to anxiety.  To wit:

When you feel panicked and want to do something else, look and create a plan (either 'plan' in remaining mentally prepared or 'plan' as in actually do have an alternative) for the worst likely outcome.  Often, you will come to terms with it and realize that it's not so bad, and therefore fear does not overtake your decision-making process.

I've done this quite a bit in my past.  In particular, I think this is how I got through most of uni.  I started with the thought that, "Well, if I fail my first year, then I'll use my anosmia to my advantage and get a decent job somewhere," and shot for my minor.  Once I had that, and had a minor in both Physics and Math by then, I did have a bit of a crisis, and ended up switching majors from Physics to Math; and then thought, "Well, if this shits up, I at least have the equivalent of an associate's to back up on."  I then plowed on.  Whenever I felt exam anxiety, I would be reminded of the fact that--in a sense--failure is just another form of freedom.

The best Senecan I've come across, comes from a story from Adam Savage:

Because of this, I have come up with the ultimate Senecan.

No, Adam Savage has GONE THROUGH the ultimate Senecan.

Whenever I've felt some extreme anxiety, I've imagined the above following scenario.  Whenever I am anxious about something, I imagine "The Adam Savage Senecan".  Wherein I imagine the person that I have some obligation that I am feeling anxious for, responds the same way Adam's boss did.

The crucial part is what I imagine I would do immediately after the chastisement ends, and I am alone in that 'warehouse', what would I do or where I would go from there.  Usually, it simply involves me realizing that...on the flipside, I don't have to talk to them anymore, and I am usually psychically set on simply moving to a different place.

Once I am good with this.  I typically have no more anxiety.