Poison Ivy

Poison ivy is a plant that produces a strong skin irritant. Most people avoid

touching the plant because they know what theyʼll get: a nasty, red, blistering rash that

itches like hell. If youʼve been unlucky enough to have been exposed, then you know

what this is like. Youʼve got the strong urge to scratch. And when you do that, you make

matters worse. You end up with open sores on your skin. And if you havenʼt washed the

plant oils from your hands and exposed areas, you may spread the allergic reaction to

other parts of your body. No amount of scratching will cure the inflammation. You need

to stop the scratching and allow your body to heal itself.

The anxiety itch is like this too. The discomfort rages through your head and

body, and you have a strong urge to get relief. So you avoid. You struggle. The problem

is that you canʼt avoid exposure to anxiety in the same way you can avoid a poison ivy

plant. Anxiety can show up anytime or anywhere. When you scratch your anxiety itch

with avoidance and struggle, it makes the anxiety worse — the anxiety grows and

spreads to infect most of your life. And all that avoidance scratching pulls you out of

your life too.