make the exhalation a little longer than the one before 2 If too keyed up to breathe freely count your breaths Counting helps distract your brain from anxious thoughts Count 1 when you inhale 2 when you exhale and so forth up to 20 Then start again with 1 Repeat this a few the arousal will start to decrease 3 If breathing work place your hand on your heart Notice the speed See if you can slow it down with your breathing Put all your attention into observing the beat beat beat of your heart DO WHAT YOU FEAR k a We reinforce escape behavior by never staying in the feared situation long enough to see if our anxious expectations are accurate The only way to test your fears is to put yourself in the that ordinarily make you want to bolt and see if your expectations are realistic Initially this is going to bring discomfort but in the long run it will lead to less anxiety and less escape behavior 1 Get out your notebook and write down situations that typically trigger an urge to escape Driving 2 Next to each situation write what you believe would happen if