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Individuals without an anxiety disorder, including counselors and psychiatrists, might think a successful treatment is to push an individual to do the exact same thing that they fear, even if they start small and increase the activity, as a means of recovery.

I am a person with an anxiety disorder, and this does work, at least for me.
I have had to leave stores when the anxiety has become too severe. This has happened to me after being in a store for not even five minutes. The key I have found to recovery is to let myself leave the store if it is necessary, sit down on a bench outside or in my car for a few minutes, and then go back inside the store. I do not let myself go home without buying the things I needed enough to get in my car and drive to the store, which is another fear of mine, driving.

This has been extremely successful in my own recovery. I definitely do not think that avoiding situations and places that cause anxiety is the most effective way of recovering and leading a successful, happy life. I think we must treat ourselves with great care and love though, and only we can define what that means.

Learn more about this author, Kristen Bennett.
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