Yogi: I have chronic fear and anxiety since I was small. It comes and goes. Now, I would watch the feeling until the fear goes away, but when I don’t watch, it comes back.

Sayadaw: Why does fear not stop for some people? And, oftentimes it increases. Some fear shows up a little bit and it goes away. Why can’t some fear or anxiety stop?

Fear continues and magnifies because you continue to think about the story.

If the mind cannot continue to think about the story, the fear or anxiety must come down because there is no fuel to feed the fire.

If we keep the mind busy to be aware continuously, the mind cannot think and will calm down.

The other way that the mind calms down is when it has gained some understanding from the experience.