scene	in	your	mind’s	eye.
2.
	
Try	to	conjure	what	you	would	feel	in	your	body	if	you	approached
what	you	are	afraid	of.	Notice	the	physical	cues.	Can	you	feel	your
heart	rate	increase	or	your	stomach	sink?	Remind	yourself	that	you’re
safe;	you’re	just	pretending.
3.
	
Imagine	you	follow	through	with	whatever	used	to	frighten	you	into
inaction,	and	imagine	how	you	would	feel	if	you	did	that.	What	would
you	gain?
Anxiety	Is	Not	the	Boss	of	You
Ideally,	when	our	anxiety	response	is	triggered,	we	make	a	swift	assessment
of	how	dangerous	the	situation	at	hand	really	is.	Then	we’re	able	to	either
manage	the	situation	appropriately	(“Get	out	of	the	house,	there’s	a	fire!”)	or
self-soothe	(“You’re	okay,	take	a	deep	breath.”),	return	to	a	calmer	baseline,
and	move	on.	When	we	
experience
	
chronic	anxiety,	fight-or-flight	is	triggered
so	frequently	that	we	are	forever	on	guard	for	potential	threats,	and	can	never