The most critical element that separates normal from problematic anxiety and fear is this: avoidance, avoidance, and more avoidance. It’s the common tie that binds all anxiety disorders together. Avoidance of fear and anxiety feeds anxiety and fear, and it shrinks lives.

...[E]veryone has at least one fear that rules their life and limits their freedom... When you find it difficult to admit your fears, ask yourself a different question: Are you free? This question helped me uncover my fears one by one ... At a fundamental level, many of us fear finding out who we really are and what about ourselves we need to fix.