Lets talk about avoidance and safety behaviors and how they’re a bad thing when it comes to dealing with anxiety and panic issues. Avoidance and safety rituals reinforce the mistaken belief that you need to be “saved” from your anxiety. We contrast this with the use of positive coping techniques that help teach you that you’re in no real danger to begin with.
Today Billy and I discuss the role of coping techniques in dealing with anxiety and panic issues. We touch on breathing, muscle relaxation and meditation techniques designed to quiet the mind on demand. Coping techniques are designed to limit the duration and intensity of a panic attack, not to stop it dead it its tracks. Coping techniques must be learned and practiced all the time in order to build the skills required to use them properly. We also briefly touch on important difference between coping and safety/avoidance behaviors.