next.	Now	you	likely	have	actual	negative	consequences	to	face.
Avoidance	feels	protective	in	the	short	term,	but	in	the	longer	term
generates	real	peril	and	more	anxiety	than	ever.	It’s	worth	keeping	in	mind
that	the	fundamental	problem	is	not	the	anxiety,	but	how	you	respond	to	it.
Hardwired	to	Avoid
The	fight-or-flight	response	is	produced	by	an	area	of	the	brain	often	called
the	“reptilian	brain”	due	to	its	primitive	nature.	The	reptilian	brain	evolved
very	early	and	relies	on	an	unsophisticated	operating	system;	within
milliseconds	we	flee	(avoid/escape)	a	perceived	threat	or	freeze	in	place,
before	we	even	process	the	apparent	danger.	From	an	evolutionary
perspective,	this	instant	all-or-nothing	response	is	effective	because,	after	all,
we	don’t	want	to	waste	precious	time	on	details	when	we	encounter	a	real
physical	threat.
On	the	other	hand,	the	reptilian	response	doesn’t	work	so	well	at	helping
us	figure	out	how	to	address	problems	that	provoke	anxiety	but	are	
not
actually	threatening
	
.	And	in	modern	life,	that	describes	most	of	the	problems
we	encounter.	Even	a	genuinely	scary	situation—like	a	performance	review
with	a	boss	you	don’t	like—isn’t	an	immediate	threat	to	you.	But	your