Could feeling bad be essential to feeling good?

That’s the contention of clinical psychologist and neuroscientist Tracy Dennis-Tiwary. She is a professor of psychology at Hunter College of the City University of New York, where she directs the Emotion Regulation Lab. She is the author of a new book, "Future Tense: Why Anxiety Is Good For You (Even Though It Feels Bad)."

Anxiety and depression are the focus of intense interest as the country grapples with the mental health fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic. The Surgeon General has warned that young people are facing a devastating mental health crisis.

Dennis-Tiwary argues that the anxiety-as-disease story is false. She says that anxiety is not the problem — it’s how we cope with it. She encourages people to embrace “a new mindset about anxiety — a fresh set of beliefs, insights and expectations that allows you to explore anxiety, learn from it and leverage it to your advantage.” She discusses anxiety and how to use it as a tool.