To make progress in dealing with anxiety, one must stop systematically avoiding uncomfortable situations and expose oneself frequently and regularly to one's fears, while allowing for regular breaks in one's comfort zone to recover from the physical fatigue generated by the stress response.

noli's read

Julie Smith's advice is based on particularly solid scientific foundations. The fact that avoidance prolongs feelings of insecurity while active and regular exposure fosters progress is a fundamental principle of stress management. A major meta-analysis by Parker et al. (2018) confirms that active exposure techniques are the most effective for managing one's fears on a daily basis. Furthermore, the idea of allowing oneself recovery moments is relevant: a theoretical analysis by experts published by Hofmann and Hay (2018) shows that temporary and constructive avoidance can help preserve a sense of control without blocking safety learning. Nevertheless, the assertion that this process is fatiguing solely because the body is working hard to generate the stress response is slightly oversimplified. The fatigue felt after a strong emotion actually stems from broader physiological factors, such as prolonged muscle tension and fluctuations in attention, rather than just the energy expenditure related to the secretion of stress hormones.

the sources

No named source held this one up — that absence is part of the verdict.