First, you’ll learn that your anxious response is not dangerous. Your anxious response is neither permanent nor fatal, and it peaks but always goes away, whether you do anything to lessen it or not. When you learn this, you’ll fear your anxious response less. Second, you’ll learn that stepping toward discomfort gives you more of a sense of mastery over your anxious response, not less. Because you make the conscious decision to step toward (rather than away from) your discomfort, you’ll feel less pressured and thereby less anxious.

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