Tony Hale revealed a transformative method he uses to deal with anxiety.

In an interview with PEOPLE, Hale shared a ‘game changer’ method to navigate anxiety, emphasizing on the importance of staying present.

As the voice of Fear in Inside Out 2, Hale has developed a deeper understanding of anxiety, particularly his own struggles with the ‘What if?’ mentality.

He said, “It’s very easy to go to anxiety,” adding, “It’s very easy for me to live in the ‘What if?’ It takes work, which is really ironic because we’re in the present. It takes work to be present! So that’s a lot of what I’ve had to practice.”

“I have to also activate the five senses, because when I find myself living in a different narrative of ‘What could happen?’, ‘Grab the table. What are you touching? What are you seeing? What are you tasting? What are you hearing?’” Hale added.

Reflecting on his experiences, including performing in the play Wakey, Wakey, where anxiety often gripped him before each show, Hale shared how he has learned to embrace anxiety rather than fight it.’

“The practice of compassion, versus trying to cut off, was a game changer for me,” he said.