Dare

Key takeaways

• Fighting Anxiety Directly Makes It Worse
• The DARE Response: Defuse, Allow, Run Toward, Engage
• Avoidance Behaviors Reinforce Long-Term Anxiety
• Anticipatory Anxiety Often Exceeds the Actual Experienced Difficulty
• Building Confidence Through Repeated Successful Coping

• Next time anxiety spikes, try the AWARE technique: Accept, Watch, Act normal, Repeat, End
• Practice leaning into an anxious sensation today instead of fighting it
• Do one activity today despite anxiety, rather than avoiding it

Final takeaway

McDonagh's closing invitation: apply the DARE technique consistently during actual anxious moments, treating each application as an opportunity to build genuine, evidence-based confidence in your ability to cope, rather than seeking to eliminate anxiety-triggering situations entirely.