@parus- Beautifully said. I'd like to expand a bit on this if you don't mind @parus. Knowledge and preparation go a long way in lowering anxiety, especially for me. If I have a situation, especially one that I have no control over, like CT scans or even a bad family situation I try and line up all the scenarios before hand. It's like picking out a wardrobe for a meeting the night before. If it's with a family member I know that I have no control over how they will act or what they would say or ask. My twin sister was like that for me. She was a demanding and sick person. Her entire social life was rapped up in addiction so she really didn't know how to have a decent conversation without bringing herself into it, or asking for things. I decided that unless there was a definite need for something I said no. I told her that I couldn't afford something if she asked why. She understood that. I tried to think of things that she might want instead of going back over things that drove me nuts and sad and angry.
Again, knowledge is everything to me. It empowers me because knowledge gives me understanding. It lowers my anxiety, maybe not all of it, but some of it. That's why I'm always nagging about research. There''s nothing like getting a handle on things!