Safety-seeking behaviors- this is an actual thing. Safety behaviors are what we do to try and prevent or reduce the anxiety we are experiencing. Examples of safety behaviors related to health anxiety might be to scan your body for any concerning blemishes or checking your pulse multiple times a day.
In the past couple of posts, we have been talking about how some people are able to move past a panic attack experience, while others get stuck in the panic place. As a refresher, there are three reasons why someone transcends from having a simple panic attack to developing panic disorder: 1) Selective attention and hypervigilance; 2) Safety behaviors; and 3) Avoidance.
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