The Anxiety Paradox

In order to recover from anxiety you have to have anxiety, this is the paradox.  If I want to start feeling less anxiety, I need to find situations that create anxiety.  In our minds, we think we must find a safe place, we must stay home, we must avoid but the paradox of anxiety says that if we avoid anxiety, we will create even more anxiety.  If we do things that cause anxiety, we will create less anxiety.

This can be difficult news for the anxiety suffer to accept.  If I’m afraid of driving on the interstate, the only thing that will cure that is to actually drive on the interstate.  Sure, I’m making big leaps forward, there are always baby steps, smaller goals along the way to recovery but in the end if I want to say to myself I can now do the things I used to be able to do, I have to do them first with anxiety present.