Go
	
Deeper
What	Would	Happen	If?
This	short	writing	exercise	is	a	way	to	shift	your	focus	away	from	your
fear	to	the	positive	feelings	and	strong	sense	of	self	that	will	come	as	you
rely	less	on	escape	and	more	on	moving	forward	in	spite	of	your	anxiety
or	panic.
Write	two	stories	in	your	notebook:
1.
	
The	story	of	what	you	expect	would	happen	if	you	intentionally
exposed	yourself	to	something	you’ve	been	escaping.	Call	to
mind	your	worst-case	scenario—all	the	difficult	thoughts,
feelings,	or	behaviors	you	imagine	would	happen	if	you	stuck
with	something	that	instinctively	you	want	to	move	away	from.
Perhaps	you	believe	you	would	die,	have	to	leave	in	an
ambulance,	lose	your	mind,	throw	up,	humiliate	yourself	…
whatever	it	is,	write	it	down.	Be	as	specific	as	possible.
2
	
.
	
The	second	story	is	your	best-case	scenario	of	what	could	occur
if	you	didn’t	use	escape	to	manage	your	panic.	In	this	story,	you