It all starts in our head... A friend called me and with a trembling voice told me that after undergoing screening at the clinic, atypical cells were found in her smear and there is a suspicion of oncology. Now the tests need to be retaken. What if the suspicions are confirmed? Uncertainty. Which will last at least another week, and during this week she will worry and exhaust herself psychologically. Whatever the result, anxiety in this case does not bring any benefit. During the waiting period, the quality of life deteriorates. A person cannot think about anything else. All this time, he draws terrible pictures in his head, to which the corresponding hormones adrenaline, norepinephrine and cortisol are produced. As a consequence of the action of these hormones, vasoconstriction (hypertension), ischemia or decreased blood supply to vital organs and muscle tension (fight or flight mechanism). This whole process requires a lot of energy, and as a result - exhaustion, both mental and physical. Even if the outcome of my friend’s tests is bad, she will need strength to fight the disease, and it has already been spent on anxiety. And, as you know, anxiety reduces immunity, which again reduces the chances of fighting a possible illness. And if the result turns out to be negative, and the probability of such an outcome, according to doctors, is 50%, then it turns out that all this waste of energy was in vain. Anxiety is an emotional experience associated with the premonition and expectation of a negative development of a life scenario or with the uncertainty of the future. In psychology, it is customary to separate fear and anxiety. It is believed that fear is a response to a specific, already occurring danger, and anxiety is a premonition, a signal of a possible danger. Anxiety occurs when there is no danger yet; it is expected, but may never occur. In ancient times, anxiety was evolutionarily justified and made it possible to escape from danger. Sensitive, shallow sleep (insomnia) was needed so that the enemy would not be taken by surprise, which is easiest to do when the sleep is sound. It is clear that tense muscles were stronger and made it possible to climb a tree faster, and a lump in the throat helped, when chasing in water, not to swallow it and prevent water from getting into the lungs. But now, with an imaginary threat, all these mechanisms do not so much help as complicate life. According to research by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion, 60% of the population surveyed experience anxiety. Anxiety exhausts the human psyche, affects the neurohumoral regulation of the body, weakens the immune system and, as a result, leads to illness. Thus, hypertension, gastric and duodenal ulcers, nonspecific ulcerative colitis, thyrotoxicosis, neurodermatitis are based on a psychosomatic component. What to do if you find yourself with anxiety? The first thing is to compensate for the consequences of anxiety. This includes eliminating its symptoms or alleviating their course and increasing physiological resources: soothing herbal infusions (mint, lemon balm, motherwort); glucose-containing products; trance techniques; breathing techniques; meditation, yoga; massage, sports, water procedures; nature, travel, new experiences ;religion;creativity. The second is psychotherapy: eliminating the cause of anxiety; changing the philosophy of life; changing the attitude towards events.