How often do you engage in exposure therapy?

What is exposure therapy?

The definition of exposure therapy is “a technique in behavior therapy to treat anxiety disorders.” And the therapy is performed by exposure through a real-life situation.

You might think that you don’t suffer from anxiety, which could be true. But there’s also a probability that you don’t struggle with anxiety because you don’t allow yourself to be exposed to new or different ideas or situations. After all, it’s easy to feel comfortable and safe if life is somewhat predictable.

So, why should you consider exposure therapy?

Well, there are a few reasons.

Exposing yourself to new ideas stimulates creativity. When you encounter new information, your brain is forced to think differently. It’s as though you’re nudged out of your current rut and forced to build new pathways.

Closely related to the first reason, you can expose yourself to new ways of thinking by meeting and speaking with different kinds of people. Interacting with people that don’t share your background or views is a proven way to increase empathy because you soon learn that most people share the same desires but have different ways of fulfilling them.

Lastly, let’s revisit the idea of treating anxiety. So much of anxiety is rooted in the concern and fear of the unknown. And while this might sound obvious, exposure therapy is one step in making the unknown known.  

The most common ways of practicing exposure are flooding and systematic. Flooding is immersing yourself in an experience or situation. But if that sounds too overwhelming for you, then a systematic, step-by-step exposure might be a better option for you.

So, commit today to engage in your own version of exposure therapy. Make a conscious decision to stimulate your mind and body and feel yourself grow as you push yourself to encounter new ideas, people, and situations.

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