space	comfort	zone.	But	terror	can	take	over	if	for	whatever	reason	you
miscalculate	and	suddenly	find	yourself	in	a	crowded	corner	at	a	museum
reception.	Your	heartbeat	jumps.	Your	face	flushes.	You	shake	and	jitter.	You
may	even	think	you’re	going	to	pass	out	or	have	a	heart	attack.	Similar	to	a
fire	alarm	sounding,	these	panic	symptoms	cause	you	to	immediately	make
some	excuse	and	flee.
As	we’ve	seen,	an	adaptive	survival	response	in	a	true	emergency	can,	for
the	person	with	chronic	anxiety,	become	a	self-defeating	pattern	of	avoiding
uncomfortable	but	nonthreatening	situations.	When	that	happens,	a	person
may	find	themselves	in	total	escape	mode	for	situations	that	are	actually
benign—shopping	malls,	movie	theaters,	driving,	parties,	family	events,	work
meetings,	doctor’s	appointments,	just	to	name	a	few.	Giving	in	to	panic	and
fear	through	escape	means	no	new	learning	can	occur	because	you	never	get	a
chance	to	discover	if	what	you	fear	will	actually	happen.
STRATEGY:
	
REIN	IN	FIGHT-OR-FLIGHT
If	a	lion	is	attacking,	jump	off	a	high	wall,	run	toward	oncoming	traffic,	crash
through	a	sliding	glass	door—do	whatever	you	must	to	survive.	But	only