Over time even the thought of highway driving triggered panic Eventually she stopped driving on highways altogether In the moment avoiding what makes us anxious feels like the fix In the long run the avoidance increases anxiety With treatment Julia made a commitment to overcome this anxiety She began by visualizing herself driving and coping well She also practiced deep breathing to rein in the response and supportive can and I will push through to the other side At first the old anxiety reaction came flooding back in She persevered After two weeks of visualizing she drove on a highway again After two months she was regularly behind the wheel and reported that her anxiety had dropped from 10 to 5 on a scale from 1 to 10 Julia pushed through Not only did her symptoms improve but her qualityof life also improved She was now able to spontaneously visit her mom and friends Most importantly she felt like the independent and capable woman she always knew herself to be Planning Reconsider when you will integrate the techniques you planned in chapter 4 into your daily routine If you have already begun to do so maybe your planning is working