Anxiety Disorders: Can You Fake It 'til You Make It?

Anxiety disorders can seem to shut people down, bound by too much worry and frozen in fear. "Fake it 'til you make it," is a piece of friendly(ish) advice meant to motivate and encourage. At its essence, "fake it 'til you make it" assures people that they don't have to feel confident in order to move forward. "Fake it 'til you make it" says it's possible to get up and go no matter what. Is there truth in this, especially when it comes to anxiety disorders?

When I was in graduate school preparing to be a counselor, a professor once told our class that, rather than worrying about practicing with clients, we should simply fake it 'til we make it (Faking Confidence When Not Confident Can Build Self-Esteem). The class as a whole was experiencing significant anxiety, and it seemed unlikely that we could just fake our way out of anxiety and into success. Why would she even suggest something this shallow?

Why Fake It 'Til You Make It Can Help Anxiety Disorders

As it so happens, "fake it 'til you make it" can help anxiety disorders. The concept comes from the therapy technique called acting as if. Developed by psychotherapist Alfred Adler, acting as if encourages people to act as if their obstacles, including anxiety disorders, are already gone.

The idea is that actions are important, and when people begin to act differently, they begin to think and feel differently, and they become different. "Fake it 'til you make it," then, is a way to allow ourselves to take action despite paralyzing anxiety disorders.

Why Fake It 'Til You Make It Doesn't Always Help Anxiety Disorders

To do what you would do if anxiety disorders weren't in your way is a wonderful idea, and "fake it 'til you make it" can help you overcome anxiety, sometimes. While acting as if anxiety disorders weren't in your way helps teach the brain that anxiety doesn't have to be in charge, the technique does have its limits.

As anyone living with anxiety disorders knows, anxiety snakes its way throughout the brain, twists itself around our thoughts, and injects them with its poisonous venom. Anxiety makes us overthink everything, and with anxiety, our thoughts center on fears, worries, and the magnification of our own shortcomings.

"Fake it 'til you make it" asks people to ignore those anxious thoughts and act as if they don't exist. After all, with anxiety disorders, our thoughts aren't trustworthy anyway, so why not just ignore them?

Anxiety disorders take "ordinary" fears and worries to a heightened level, affecting thoughts, feelings, and behaviors; thus, anxiety disorders can be debilitating. Sometimes, "fake it 'til you make it" can make people with anxiety disorders feel worse. In trying to act despite anxiety disorders, anxiety can become prominent and intensified.

"Fake it 'til you make it" can feel just that -- fake. When the focus is on the idea that the action is a farce because anxiety is still present, rather than on the fact that actions are being taken, "fake it 'til you make it" feels hollow and doesn't work.

Should You Fake it til You Make it with Anxiety Disorders?

There's validity to both sides of the argument. "Fake it 'til you make it" can help you begin to take action. When you take even little steps, you start to have success. When you have success, your thoughts and feelings shift positively (5 Character Strengths of People Living With Anxiety). When actions, thoughts, and feelings all begin to improve, anxiety disorders diminish. Yet "fake it 'til you make it" can be incredibly difficult when you live with one or more anxiety disorders.

Consider experimenting slowly. What one thing would you most like to change? What little steps would get you there? Pick one step, one that you feel comfortable with, and no matter how tiny, take action. Fake it 'til you make it in this one area, and you'll be just a bit closer to banishing anxiety disorders from your life.

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