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When people are frequently anxious, they often find ways of trying to make themselves less anxious in anxiety-provoking situations. However, the things individuals do to make themselves feel better when they have anxiety problems sometimes backfire. They make an individual feel better in the short-run, but worse in the long run.
Cognitive-Behavioral therapists often work with patients to identify their "safety behaviors." For example, individuals with social anxiety sometimes drink too much alcohol or they may ask other people questions in conversation to avoid sharing themselves. Individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder sometimes repeat a saying in their minds to make themselves feel better. Individuals with health anxiety might ask doctors for reassurance. However, these safety behaviors keep individuals from learning that the risks of harm if they did not engage in these safety behaviors is actually quite low and tolerable. Safety behaviors also keep people from fully confronting their fears.
If you are in therapy and working on anxiety problems, it might be helpful to do a careful review of the ways you are trying to manage your anxiety. You might be surprised to find that some of these things actually serve to maintain anxiety. It takes a ton of courage to let go of long-held safety behaviors, but it can be done and the results are worth it.