Anxiety – The Benefits of Doing Things That Scare You

The phrase, “Do one thing every day that scares you,” is from ‘Everybody’s Free (to Wear Sunscreen)’ a spoken word song by Baz Luhrmann. In my journey with anxiety disorder, I have learned the benefits of doing things that scare you. That particular line from the song has stuck with me and has become somewhat of a mantra.

“Do one thing every day that scares you”

That my mantra is to purposefully put myself in the path of fear, is surprising. It’s surprising because it runs contrary to my old mantra of ‘Drink one bottle of wine a day and hide from your fears.’

I lie.

It was never only one bottle.

Coming to realise the benefits of doing things that scare me

Over my years in recovery, I have gradually pushed myself further outside my comfort zone. Stepping outside my comfort zone means doing more things which, quite frankly, terrify me.  These days, I often end up so far outside of my comfort zone that I need the help of google maps to find my way back.

This is no easy task when you have an Anxiety Disorder.

If you have Anxiety Disorder, why are you doing things that scare you?

Why avoiding Anxiety is not helpful

I used to think that the best way to cope with my intense fear, was to not push myself. I was not too fond of the awful way anxiety made me feel. Therefore avoiding scary things seemed to be the logical solution.

However, this approach did not result in any improvement. In fact, avoidance made things worse. The more I let anxiety stop me from doing things, the more stuck I became. On top of that, I accumulated a sense of disappointment, which in turn caused low self-esteem and shame.

Does doing things that scare you help you to overcome Anxiety Disorder?

Rather than focusing on overcoming anxiety, I find it more helpful to instead concentrate on overcoming small individual hurdles.

I spent many years waiting for my anxiety disappear, but it never has. Recently, I began to realise that I was wasting my energy in trying to find a way to permanently cure myself of it. I now instead concentrate my efforts on finding ways to manage anxiety and get on with my life regardless of it.

Can you overcome anxiety by doing things that scare you?

Overcoming Anxiety means different things for different people. For me, overcoming Anxiety means that although I still have a lot of it, I have overcome its hold over me.

What are the benefits of doing things that scare you if it doesn’t cure anxiety?

The point is to overcome anxiety in a way that works for you. For some people, the act of challenging it does eventually give them an anxiety free life. However, this has not been the case for me. While I do have less fear than I once did, anxiety remains in my life, just at varying levels. What has changed though, is my ability to get on with life regardless of it. I have done this by developing techniques to deal with it.

The benefit of doing things that scare you is to prove to yourself that you can

The benefit of doing things that scare me is to prove to myself that I can have anxiety but still get on with life regardless of it. Being able to face my fears makes me feel differently about anxiety because I’ve overcome its hold over me. Having the ability to get on with life regardless of anxiety is the most important thing for me.

Anxiety disorder does not have to get in the way of forging a happy successful life. Perseverance and courage do pay off!

However, facing anxiety and learning to do things that scare you takes time. It is important to start with baby steps and small goals. In my journey, it has taken me many years of tiny steps to reach the point I am at now.  Through experimentation, with learning how best to manage my anxiety so that I can survive scary events, I have arrived at a place where I can be the happy, successful person I hoped to be.

Facing Anxiety opens doors

The benefit of doing things that scare me are evident in my life, in all the opportunities that come my way. From deciding to turn my hobby into a business and becoming self-employed, through to working with the Open University as a student ambassador. It is only by facing my anxiety that these things have happened. My anxiety may not have left me, but my life is full despite it.

Discover your own benefits from doing things that scare you

Facing anxiety is difficult but with the right approach, it is not impossible. You begin at the beginning, mindfully but with intent and purpose. I didn’t just go from being stuck indoors to setting myself enormous scary challenges.

Miracles happen when you take everything one day at a time

First, you start with the small stuff,  and as you gradually conquer these things you build up a bank of evidence of being able to do them, regardless of anxiety. This bank of evidence then begins to build a sense of pride and purpose, which soon become more significant than the anxiety itself.

You build these baby steps gradually, by taking it one day at a time. Then, suddenly, you find yourself looking back in awe at how far you’ve come, how much you have achieved, and how much more you are capable of.

Feel the fear and do it anyway

Do one thing, every day, consistently that scares you, and I promise, your life will change in ways you never dreamed were possible.

It’s the old adage, if you want new and exciting opportunities in your life, you have to do new and exciting things, even if those things scare the pants off you.

Hello! My name is Finn and I have a passion for creating honest content, that inspires personal growth and promotes well-being.

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