Reactions & Attitudes That Maintain Anxiety
Anxiety often urges us to relate to it in ways that inadvertently reinforce itself and increase our suffering. This list outlines common reactions and attitudes towards anxiety. If you recognize any of these responses within yourself, know that you’re not alone; they are natural and common. Recognizing these reactions is an important step toward alleviating your suffering when anxiety arises. By identifying and labeling these responses with compassion, you can create more space between yourself and anxiety, helping to reduce suffering.
- Believing thoughts
- Fusing thoughts and actions
- Believing you are not able to handle anxiety
- Not being aware of thoughts
- Trying to avoid anxious thoughts or triggering environments
- Believing that physiological reactions means you are in danger
- Making the anxiety the main focus rather than the task at hand
- Hoping anxiety doesn’t happen
- Doing what the anxiety says to do
- Acting on feelings rather than values
- Striving for 100% certainty
- Pretending anxiety isn’t there
- Struggling and fighting the anxiety
- Trying to control anxiety
- “White knuckling” it through anxiety
- Believing your anxiety will go on forever
- Using coping skills or relaxation techniques in attempt to take eliminate anxiety
- Formulating an escape plan, just in case anxiety hits
- Pursuing perfection
- Rushing through anxious situations