What is Anxiety?: It’s an Invisible, Lazy, Tardy Monster

Having anxiety can feel as if there’s a monster whose coming after you, but you don’t know where or when, or sometimes, even why.

All you know is that your alarm reactions are always on high alert, anticipating the worst. Anything or nothing can set off a fearful sweating or chills attack, or a racing heartbeat, or chest pains and scary thoughts which make you want to get out of Dodge as quickly as possible.

But what is this monster?

You can’t see it. When you calm down, you realize that it was a false alarm and that nothing happened. This monster never ever does anything besides being making threats. And, it has never actually has shown up.

Basically, it’s an invisible, lazy, tardy monster that you’ve got on your hands.

Or, more accurately, in your own mind and body.

Once you realize that “the anxiety monster” is you being like an animal who is chasing its own tail around thinking that it’s a predator, you are ready to try a different approach.

It may sound surprising, but the best way to overcome anxiety is to do … nothing.

This means to accept whatever thoughts and physical sensations you experience, and just stay put no matter how urgent it feels to escape.

By doing nothing, you are really doing something very constructive. You are taking the first steps to extinguish your habitual anxiety response. In other words, the more you try to escape from anxiety, the worse it gets, and vice versa.

Jonathan Hoffman, Ph.D., ABPP

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