Cope in the moment
Build your fear ladder
Avoiding what scares us feels safer, but it quietly makes the fear bigger. A fear ladder helps you face things one gentle step at a time — starting low, building confidence, and letting your body learn that you’re okay. This is the heart of exposure work.
How this works
List situations that make you anxious and rate each from 0 (no anxiety) to 10 (the most you can imagine) — that number is called your SUDS rating. Then start near the bottom, practice until it feels easier, and climb. Facing a fear on purpose, and staying long enough for the anxiety to fall on its own, is what teaches your brain it’s safe.
1
What are you working toward?
Name the fear or goal at the top of your ladder — the thing avoidance is costing you.
2
Add the steps
Break the fear into smaller situations — from things that feel only a little scary to the big one. Add as many as you like.
How anxious would this make you?
0 = totally calm · 10 = the most anxiety you can imagine
5
CalmTerrifying
3
Your ladder
Add a few situations above and they’ll stack up here, ordered by how scary they feel.
Loading your ladder…
Go at your own pace
Climb when you’re ready, not before. Practice a rung more than once — the goal is for it to feel routine before you move up. Anxiety naturally rises, peaks, and falls if you stay with it; you don’t have to make it stop. If a rung feels like too much, add a gentler one below it. This is best done alongside a therapist who can guide the pacing.
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