Myth 1. Anxiety is natural
Anxiety might be common but it isn’t natural. The fact that anxiety rates in present-day Africa and Asia are far lower than in the West points to this, as does the fact that it is rarely appears in very young children. It is arousal that is ‘natural’ and anxiety is an exaggerated, worrisome version of that. Anxiety disorders of the kind seen in psychotherapy are created when the person fuses with worry, perfectionism, self-judgment, guilt and other wrong thinking habits.