Facing Anxiety

The way to lessen and eventually remove your anxiety is by facing it. You do not have to go all in. If you have a fear of heights, you are not expected to go bungee jumping to get over it. But what you can do is climb a ladder, few steps for starters then increase the steps, and seconds you stay there up until you can climb the whole ladder and stay there for as long as you need. 

Similarly, you can take small steps to confront your anxiety. Things to remember when putting yourself in a situation where you may feel potentially anxious

• Start out small. Increase exposure with time
• Stop fighting/avoiding anxiety, accept that you are anxious but acknowledge that it is simply discomfort. You are not in any danger and this feeling will eventually pass. You are perfectly capable of experiencing it.  
• Learn self-soothing exercises such as slow breathing and grounding techniques but do not use them as a way to avoid anxiety but rather to make yourself as comfortable as you can while experiencing it
• Remember that progress is not linear, you will have good and bad days. Some attempts maybe more difficult that others but it will get better
• Remain consistent in your efforts. 

The only way to manage anxiety on the long run is by facing it. When you face your anxiety and do not run away from the experience, your brain learns that it is not actually a dangerous situation and you start to feel better. The next time when you experience the same, it is slightly less intensive than last time and so on up untill you no longer feel anxious. 

What step will you take today to face your anxiety?