I was sitting inside of a small square room when my therapist asked me to imagine that a bear had just walked in. Sitting on a chair alongside a wall, I looked around the room. To the left of me were two windows which I was sure could not be opened. In front was a long, white, wall with a two pictures hanging on it. To my right is a wall with a door. 

 I close my eyes, imagining the room as it is. All of the sudden, a bear walks in, covering the only way out with its gigantic body. The bear starts lunging at me, trapping me in the corner, snarling its teeth. With saliva flying out, it roars. 
I take a moment to imagine every aspect of the visual - how it smells, the sounds the bear makes as it enters in the room, how it makes me feel knowing there is no way out but one. How do I respond physically? How does my body cope with the situation? Does it engage fight or flight? How does such a reaction look to the outside world? 

 If a bear were to walk into the room, a few things would most likely happen. Taking note of only the physical - I will begin to sweat, my palms may become sticky, my muscles tense up as I look for a way out, my heart races and pounds out of my chest and my eyes widen. 

 These are all examples of the many physical symptoms of anxiety. This is because anxiety is a natural response that can be used for self preservation. It saves me during moments such as this when we need it to survive. Everyone has a certain level of anxiety, but I have more than most. The problem that occurs with OCD is when my brain cannot necessarily distinguish between what is a rational fear and what is an irrational fear. For example, instead of a bear entering the room, it could be the germs on the door knob. One second I am sitting on the chair in the small room and the next, the germs are spreading from the door knob all the way around the room and I am stuck hiding in the corner.


I was once told that simply learning about anxiety decreases it by 10%. During the cognitive portion of my therapy, I learned many lessons such as this one. My therapist always had a great way of explaining things to me in a way that made a complicated study easy to understand. He would use visual scenarios and metaphors that would always stick in my memory. The bear walking into a room is one that I have used to help describe anxiety to people time and time again. 

By understanding the way my brain reacts, I am better able to catch myself when I am having a fearful moment. By explaining this metaphor, I am better able to explain anxiety to my friends and family in such a way that they may understand and relate.