Facing Fears: The Anxiety Curve
A plain-language explainer on why avoidance keeps fear alive, how anxiety rises and falls by itself when we stay with it, and how facing fears gently teaches the brain it is safe.
Written by Tarun Vermani, Trainee Clinical Psychologist Last reviewed
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Facing Fears: The Anxiety Curve
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What usually happens
When something frightens us, the natural thing to do is avoid it. Avoidance works brilliantly in the short term: the moment you step away, the anxiety drops and you feel relief. The trouble is that escaping also sends your brain a message: that the thing really was dangerous and that avoiding it kept you safe. So the fear is left untouched, and next time the situation feels just as threatening, or worse.
The anxiety curve
Here is something most people never get to find out. If you stay in a feared situation without escaping, your anxiety does not keep climbing forever. It rises, then it levels off, and then it starts to fall, all by itself. Your body simply cannot keep the alarm at full blast indefinitely, so it tires and the feeling settles. The peak you dread does come, but it passes, and it passes whether or not you do anything to stop it.
Habituation
There is a bonus to staying with it. Each time you face the same fear, the peak is a little lower and it falls a little faster. This is called habituation, and it is your brain slowly learning that the situation is safe after all. What felt unbearable the first time becomes manageable, then almost ordinary, with repetition. The learning happens through doing it, not through thinking your way out of it.
Why avoidance keeps fear alive
Every time you avoid, you rob yourself of the chance to learn that you would have been okay. The feared outcome is never tested, so the worry stays fully believable. Avoidance feels like the safe choice, but it is exactly what keeps the fear strong. The fear survives not because the situation is dangerous, but because you never stayed long enough to discover that it was not.
Facing fears gently
This does not mean throwing yourself in at the deep end. Facing fears works best when it is done gradually, step by step, in a planned way, usually with a therapist. You start with something that feels manageable, stay with it until the anxiety eases, and then move to the next step when you are ready. Done this way, facing fears is challenging but doable, and each step makes the next one easier.
Which of these do you do?
Avoidance comes in many forms, some obvious and some subtle. Tick any that you notice yourself doing.
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When to use ‘Facing Fears: The Anxiety Curve’
‘Facing Fears: The Anxiety Curve’ is an interactive cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) worksheet. As a core CBT skill it is used right across the model, with presentations including depression, anxiety, OCD, trauma and low self-esteem, rather than being tied to a single diagnosis.
It is designed to be used within therapy rather than as a standalone self-help tool: a therapist introduces it, works through it collaboratively, and helps make sense of what it surfaces. You can preview the full worksheet above, then assign it digitally for clients to complete between sessions on any device — or download it as a print-ready PDF.
How it works
Most people work through it in around 7 minutes. It moves through six short steps:
- What usually happens — When something frightens us, the natural thing to do is avoid it. Avoidance works brilliantly in the short term: the moment you step away,…
- The anxiety curve — Here is something most people never get to find out. If you stay in a feared situation without escaping, your anxiety does not keep…
- Habituation — There is a bonus to staying with it. Each time you face the same fear, the peak is a little lower and it falls a little faster. This is…
- Why avoidance keeps fear alive — Every time you avoid, you rob yourself of the chance to learn that you would have been okay. The feared outcome is never tested, so the…
- Facing fears gently — This does not mean throwing yourself in at the deep end. Facing fears works best when it is done gradually, step by step, in a planned way,…
- Which of these do you do? — Avoidance comes in many forms, some obvious and some subtle. Tick any that you notice yourself doing.
Completed on the Formulate platform, your client's answers are saved automatically and shared straight back to you, so you can review them before the next session rather than waiting for a paper copy to come back.
The CBT approach behind it
In common with other CBT methods, ‘Facing Fears: The Anxiety Curve’ works by gradually and safely facing avoided situations so anxiety can subside (exposure). The aim is not positive thinking but a clearer, shared understanding of what keeps a difficulty going — and practical, testable ways to change it.
Because it is a CBT tool it stays focused on the here-and-now links between thoughts, feelings, the body and behaviour, and it works best as one part of a wider course of therapy rather than as advice or a diagnosis.
Evidence & sources
This worksheet is grounded in established cognitive behavioural therapy theory and practice. Key sources include:
- Foa, E.B. & Kozak, M.J. (1986). Emotional processing of fear: Exposure to corrective information. Psychological Bulletin, 99(1), 20-35. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.99.1.20
- Marks, I.M. (1987). Fears, Phobias, and Rituals. New York: Oxford University Press.
For use alongside professional support
Formulate provides educational CBT resources for use with a qualified therapist. They are not a substitute for professional assessment, diagnosis, or crisis care.
If you need urgent help now:
- Emergency services: 999 — if you or someone else is in immediate danger
- Samaritans: 116 123 — free, day or night, 365 days a year
- SANEline: 0800 689 5555 — 4:30pm–10:30pm, every day
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