We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Health

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

How do I Overcome a Fear of Anxiety?

By Erin J. Hill
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 2,239
Share

A fear of anxiety is common, especially among those with an anxiety disorder, and can be overcome by undergoing behavioral therapy and sometimes taking prescription medication. Natural methods like diet and exercise may also be helpful. Learning coping techniques for dealing with anxiety when it occurs is also a good method of treatment, since seeing anxious feelings as being manageable and nonthreatening will take away some of the fear of having them.

Those with certain disorders are more likely to suffer from a fear of anxiety. If you have an anxiety disorder that has not been treated, you may find yourself fearful and even more anxious when you think of having an anxiety or panic episode. This fear is often as debilitating as the panic itself, and often leads to the very thing you are afraid of: anxiety.

One solution to a fear of anxiety is to avoid situations which may induce a panic attack. This may be easy if you are afraid of heights or spiders, but if you are anxious in social situations or find yourself anxious for no reason at all, this is generally not a good treatment method. You will do well to see a therapist who has experience treating anxiety disorders to learn coping techniques for dealing with panic when it occurs.

You may have found that your fear of anxiety actually makes panic and anxious feelings more likely to occur. By learning new ways to think about your disorder, however, you can regain power over these overwhelming feelings. Therapy will give you tools like breathing techniques, mantras to recite, and visualization techniques to help you to lessen your anxiety when it occurs. Knowing that you can handle your panic episodes will lessen fear, and in turn, making anxiety less likely to happen.

If your fear of anxiety is very severe, you may also be given prescription medication to help calm you down. Most times, medications will come in the form of an antidepressant. Commonly, selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) will be used, because they are often milder and come with fewer side effects compared to many other options.

You may find that joining a support group with other anxiety disorder patients is helpful for your recovery. This is a weekly or monthly gathering of people who all struggle with the same anxiety and fear issues, and help one another by discussing their successes and failures in a nurturing and non-threatening environment. Online versions are also an option, and these are available for you to use 24 hours a day via Internet forums and articles.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/how-do-i-overcome-a-fear-of-anxiety.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.