Anxiety and worry can make it difficult to be present within daily events and personal interactions, which can take the joy out of small and big life moments. For many people with anxiety, there’s a strong desire to escape, reduce, or avoid anxiety situations, people, or things that increase this feeling. It is common to engage in what is known as Safety Behaviors, which provide short-term relief from worry, but in the long term can worsen anxiety symptoms. Some examples of safety behaviors include rumination or constant worrying about the same things, checking and rechecking, which might include checking a calendar or checking a to-do list repeatedly. Seeking reassurance from other people, over-preparing, over-planning, and even constantly rehearsing what you’re going to say before you have a conversation with someone, fall under safety behavior. Another common safety behavior is avoiding the situation altogether.
Why Reducing Safety Behaviors Builds Confidence
Safety behaviors are ineffective in the long run and can increase anxiety over time. These behaviors decrease confidence and reinforce the idea that there is something to be afraid of, which makes it difficult to challenge fears that might be unfounded.
Slowly reducing these unhelpful actions trains the brain to realize that fear is often overestimated and confirms that even when the safety behavior is not done. Safety can then be established, increasing feelings of security and confidence. So, how do you lessen these behaviors? Start by picking one safety behavior that you’re engaging in frequently and slowly decrease the amount you’re reaching for that safety behavior each day. For example, if you typically check your calendar for fear that you might miss an important deadline 5 times a day, begin by reducing the checking to four times a day, and gradually decrease over time.
About Carla Sykes:
Carla is a Resident in Counseling at Healthy Minds Therapy, offering collaborative support to help identify your unique vision for mental well-being in key areas like personal development, self-esteem, life goals, and relationships. By exploring the impact of past experiences and personal factors, we’ll create a plan to help you move closer to your meaningful goals.
Using an integrative approach, Carla will help you focus on tackling issues like social anxiety, performance pressure, and perfectionism. Additionally, Carla offers couples counseling. Learn more about Carla HERE.