Exposure therapy is essentially doing what scares you. It’s about retraining your brain, so that, instead of avoiding the things you fear, you’re able to push through. Here are some tips you can use to harness the power of exposure therapy next time you’re feeling anxious.
Jot down a few actions that you find daunting, anxious or even scare you in everyday life—e.g. finding someone to eat with at lunch, talking to a teacher, getting ready for sports practice.
Your fears from 1 (not scared) to 10 (avoid at all costs). Circle the ones with the highest scores.
Talk about the situations you circled, where you tend to have the most fear or anxiety.
Choose a specific fear and with your friend, face it head-on. Plan how you’re going to deal with it, making sure that you’re going beyond your regular comfort zone. As you go through the activity together, check-in regularly on how you’re feeling on the 1-10 point scale with your companion. Aim to execute your plan, but have a code word to stop if it becomes too daunting or your anxiety gets too high. Just remember, the more you can persevere, the stronger and more confident you’ll feel!
Be sure to pre-plan and make time for something fun afterwards; you deserve a reward and a respite!
What did you learn about yourself and what you’re capable of?
Write this down so you remember!
Is the fear or anxiety often worse than the reality?
Remember, we can all accomplish more than we give ourselves credit for. Getting of out your comfort zone is a great thing to do, as long as you have a ‘soft place’ to land, with a supportive partner and/or an end reward.
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