Taking a paradoxical approach of leaning into anxiety rather than avoiding it is essential. But self-care is just as important.

Technically, self-care is likely to fall into the category of anxiety avoidance. When we label self-care as anxiety avoidance, it’s a recipe for self-criticism, guilt, and feelings of failure.

Imagine a marathon runner beating himself up for taking a day off to allow his muscles to rest and repair or a race-car driver criticizing herself for making a pit stop to refuel and get new tires.

Anxiety work doesn’t require living in a state of constant anxiety. It’s about taking steps to counter the avoidance strategy in general.

It’s helpful to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. In general, am I leaning into anxiety more than before?

And no matter the answer, you still deserve self-care.