3 things that you might think make your anxiety better but are actually making it worse

Dr Julie Smith is a Psychologist and author of Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? She has a huge following on Instagram and TikTok. Here she explains things we tend to do to help ourselves to avoid anxiety which are counter productive.

Comfort

Anxiety is hugely uncomfortable - it’s supposed to be, it’s there to activate us. The cost of seeking short term comfort is long term anxiety. 

Control 

Trying to control all areas of your life to prevent you from ever feeling anxious only ever works in the short term. As there’s so much about life that we can’t control, it becomes a fight we can’t win! 

Avoidance

Anxiety is normal whenever you try something new. If you get into the habit of avoiding anything that makes you feel anxious your life shrinks and the fear of doing anything just grows.

I’ve summarised Dr Julie Smith’s advice and you can watch the video on Instagram here.

Do you do any of these? Sometimes it’s reassuring to know that what you’re doing is a common response to anxiety. How do you switch to better long term ways of helping yourself? Would you like some support? My Wellness Hub Coaches Victoria and Siân are experienced therapists and coaches. You can arrange a chat here to talk through anything bothering you.