Anxiety, just like the average guard dog, is extremely effective at alerting us to real danger. At the same time, it’s terrible with accuracy. It tends to bark at almost anything. Even close friends.

Just as you’d never want to let the average guard dog roam freely in your yard or in public, it’s wise to treat anxiety the same.

Anxiety is a tool we can use and not something we want to get rid of entirely. We’d be extremely vulnerable to harm if we did. Instead, we want to keep it on its leash, in its yard, and do our best not to believe it every time it barks.