Why is my anxiety getting worse over time?

Anxiety leads to avoidance: Anxiety is often the body's attempt to protect from danger- if not physical danger, then emotional insults. The most common way for the nervous system to reduce fear is to steer clear of situations or people associated with anxiety. This leads to a viscious cycle- when we don't face our fears, it keeps us "safe," and the body doesn't get the chance to learn that much of fear is exaggerated and magnified. If fears are persistently confronted, anxiety will reduce rather than increase.