i have long understood that the mind magnifies what it is focused upon, but this article says it also generalizes what is notices to the general environment. psychologists are working on new ways to change our perceptions of our risk and anxiety. here is the link, if you want to read the whole article:

[At its worst, anxiety can be a debilitating condition, but new research is showing that we can reverse these biases directly using various types of attention training. Furthermore, this training is now offered through easy-to-use software and even smartphone apps.]

BBC - Future - How anxiety warps your perception