A trigger for my anxious and catastrophic thinking is reading the news. In the last month I have deleted all news apps from my phone, unfollowed news accounts on Facebook/Instagram and I even type searches very quickly into the Reddit search bar to avoid seeing news stories that populate in that section. I don’t even go on TikTok anymore because I don’t like the lack of control I have in what I see on the FYP page. 

I have seen an overall improvement in my thinking since doing that BUT it can sometimes be difficult in public spaces where I don’t have as much control over possible triggers. Sometimes I’ll overhear a convo I wish I hadn’t or I’ll see a title of a book at a bookstore that makes me anxious. I’m able to eliminate as many triggers in my home and on my telephone but I can’t control all of the environments I find myself in obviously.

Now I’m left to wonder if I should be limited triggers by avoiding things that make me uncomfortable or exposing myself to them to try and work through them. Do you have a preference for how you deal with your own anxieties?