If you live with anxiety, you may have wondered: Will this ever go away?

You might even have searched for something more direct: How do I get rid of anxiety permanently? or How can I stop anxiety forever?

Those questions make sense. Anxiety can be exhausting. When it affects your sleep, relationships, work, school, or ability to enjoy everyday life, wanting it gone is understandable.

The answer, however, is a little more complicated than simply yes or no.

Anxiety can get significantly better. Many people reach a point where anxiety no longer controls their decisions or interferes significantly with everyday life. But recovery does not necessarily mean eliminating every anxious feeling forever.

Understanding that distinction can actually be an important part of getting better.

Anxiety Is a Normal Human Emotion

Anxiety is not automatically a sign that something is wrong.

Your brain and body have systems designed to notice possible danger and prepare you to respond. Your heart may beat faster. Your breathing may change. Your muscles may tense. Your attention may become focused on whatever seems threatening.

That response can be useful when there is an actual danger. It can also happen before a job interview, an important exam, a difficult conversation, or another uncertain situation.

The problem is not that the anxiety system exists.

Anxiety becomes more concerning when it is too intense, happens too frequently, or begins interfering with everyday life. The brain’s alarm system may begin responding strongly when there is little actual danger, or the level of anxiety may be much greater than the situation requires.

People can also become anxious about anxiety itself.

A racing heart, intrusive thought, feeling of uncertainty, or sudden wave of fear can begin to seem dangerous. Life may gradually become organized around trying to prevent those feelings from happening again.

Can Anxiety Go Away Permanently?

For some people, anxiety symptoms become mild or infrequent for long periods of time. Anxiety disorders can improve significantly with appropriate treatment.

But promising that someone will never experience anxiety again would not be realistic.

Anxiety is part of the normal range of human emotions. Even people without an anxiety disorder experience worry, fear, nervousness, and uncertainty.

A more useful way to think about recovery is not:

How can I make sure I never feel anxious again?

Instead, it may be:

How can I get to the point where anxiety no longer controls my life?

That difference matters.

Why Trying to Get Rid of Anxiety Permanently Can Sometimes Backfire

One of the frustrating things about anxiety is that efforts to eliminate it completely can sometimes help maintain it.

Consider someone who experiences intense anxiety while driving on highways.

Avoiding highways brings immediate relief. That relief can reinforce the idea that the highway really was dangerous—or that the anxiety itself would have been unbearable.

The next highway trip may feel even harder.

Similar patterns can happen with many forms of anxiety. Someone might:

• avoid situations that make them uncomfortable;
• repeatedly ask other people for reassurance;
• check their body for signs of illness;
• leave situations as soon as anxiety rises;
• repeatedly search the internet for reassurance;
• avoid certain thoughts or feelings; or
• carefully organize daily life around preventing uncertainty.

These behaviors make sense because they often work in the short term. Anxiety comes down.

Unfortunately, the brain may learn something from that relief:

I escaped something dangerous.

That can make the fear more powerful the next time.

What Does Anxiety Recovery Actually Look Like?

Recovery does not necessarily mean reaching a point where you never feel worried, nervous, afraid, or uncertain again.

A more realistic goal is to manage anxiety so that it becomes proportional to the situation rather than controlling your life.

As people improve, they may notice:

• anxious feelings happen less frequently or feel less intense;
• anxiety passes more quickly when it occurs;
• physical sensations associated with anxiety feel less frightening;
• they spend less time worrying about whether anxiety will happen;
• they need less reassurance from other people;
• they stop avoiding situations simply because those situations might cause anxiety;
• uncertainty becomes easier to tolerate; and
• they make decisions based more on what matters to them than on what will make them feel safest.

Anxiety may still show up sometimes.

The important difference is that its presence no longer automatically determines what happens next.

That can be a more meaningful measure of recovery than asking, Did I feel anxious today?

Can an Anxiety Disorder Go Into Remission?

Yes. Anxiety disorders are treatable, and symptoms can improve substantially with appropriate care.

Some people experience long periods with few or no significant symptoms. Others continue to experience occasional anxiety but develop ways of responding to it that prevent it from significantly interfering with their lives.

Recovery can also change over time.

Stress, major life transitions, illness, loss, relationship difficulties, or other circumstances may temporarily increase anxiety even after someone has been doing well.

That does not necessarily mean treatment failed or that someone is back where they started.

The skills and perspectives developed during treatment can help someone recognize what is happening and respond differently when anxiety returns.

How Therapy Can Help With Anxiety

There is no single approach to anxiety treatment that is appropriate for every person experiencing anxiety.

Treatment should consider the type of anxiety someone is experiencing, how severe it is, what may be maintaining it, and how it affects everyday life.

One well-established approach is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

CBT helps people examine relationships among thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and behaviors. Treatment may involve identifying beliefs about danger or uncertainty and changing behavioral patterns that unintentionally maintain anxiety.

For some anxiety disorders, treatment may also include exposure-based therapy.

What Is Exposure-Based Therapy?

Exposure does not mean forcing someone into frightening situations or simply telling them to “face their fears.”

When used appropriately, exposure is planned and purposeful. It provides opportunities to gradually approach situations, sensations, thoughts, or uncertainty that someone has been avoiding.

Importantly, the goal is not necessarily to prove that nothing bad will ever happen.

No therapy can promise certainty.

Instead, exposure-based treatment can help people learn that anxiety itself is tolerable, uncertainty does not always need to be resolved, and they are capable of doing meaningful things even when uncomfortable feelings are present.

What About Medication for Anxiety?

Medication can also be part of treatment for anxiety disorders.

Some people benefit from psychotherapy alone. Others benefit from medication, and some find that a combination of therapy and medication works best for them.

Medication decisions should be made with an appropriate medical professional who can consider symptoms, medical history, other medications, possible side effects, and individual treatment goals.

Using medication does not mean someone has failed at managing anxiety. Likewise, seeking therapy does not mean someone should be able to overcome anxiety through willpower.

Anxiety disorders are real and treatable mental health conditions. Care should be individualized to the person experiencing them.

How Long Does It Take for Anxiety to Get Better?

There is no universal timeline for anxiety recovery.

Someone experiencing a specific phobia may have very different treatment needs from someone experiencing generalized anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, trauma-related anxiety, or several concerns at the same time.

How long treatment takes can also depend on factors such as:

• how long symptoms have been present;
• how severe they are;
• other mental or physical health concerns;
• current stressors;
• consistency of treatment; and
• individual circumstances.

Progress is also rarely perfectly linear.

Someone may have several good weeks followed by a difficult one. They may become comfortable with one situation while another remains challenging.

Sometimes behavioral changes happen before someone notices a dramatic decrease in anxiety. A person might still feel nervous but begin driving again, attending social events, going to school, traveling, or doing other things anxiety previously prevented them from doing.

Those changes are progress, too.

A Better Question Than “How Do I Get Rid of Anxiety Forever?”

If you have been struggling with anxiety for a long time, wanting it completely gone is understandable.

But another question may ultimately be more helpful:

How can I get to the point where anxiety no longer runs my life?

That goal leaves room for being human.

You can feel nervous before something important and still do it.

You can have an uncomfortable thought without needing to solve it.

You can notice your heart racing without immediately assuming something is wrong.

You can feel uncertain and still make a decision.

Recovery is not necessarily the complete absence of anxiety.

Often, it is the ability to experience anxiety without organizing your life around escaping it.

When Should I Consider Getting Help for Anxiety?

Occasional anxiety does not necessarily require treatment.

Professional support may be worth considering when anxiety is persistent, causes significant distress, or begins interfering with everyday life.

That might include:

• avoiding work or school;
• avoiding driving or travel;
• withdrawing from social activities;
• avoiding medical care because of anxiety;
• experiencing frequent panic attacks;
• repeatedly seeking reassurance;
• having difficulty sleeping because of worry; or
• spending significant amounts of time trying to prevent feared outcomes.

A mental health professional can help you better understand what type of anxiety you may be experiencing and discuss treatment approaches that may be appropriate.

You do not have to wait until anxiety becomes unbearable before asking for help.

Anxiety Can Get Better

If anxiety has been part of your life for a long time, it can be difficult to imagine feeling differently.

But anxiety disorders are treatable, and meaningful recovery is possible.

The goal does not have to be a life in which you never experience another anxious feeling.

It can be a life in which anxiety takes up less space.

A life in which fear does not automatically mean avoidance.

A life in which uncertainty does not always need an answer.

And a life in which anxiety may sometimes have something to say—but it no longer gets to make all the decisions.

If anxiety is interfering with everyday life for you or someone you love, our team is here to help. The Artemis Center for Guidance provides therapy for children, teens, and adults at our southern New Jersey locations and through telehealth when appropriate.

When you’re ready, we’re here.