CBT Techniques For Anxiety
CBT is the most popular treatment for anxiety disorders. It has been shown to be effective in treating social anxiety disorder and phobias as well as generalized anxiety disorder.
It aims to change the way you think about yourself and the world. It has two key aspects:
- Cognitive Therapy measures the impact of negative thoughts or cognitions on anxiety.
- Behavior Therapy examines how you behave and react in situations that cause anxiety.
CBT holds to the belief that our thoughts and not external events determine how we feel. How you perceive a situation determines your feelings, not the actual situation.
Our critical thinking: thoughts and feelings
Imagine, for instance, that you have been invited to an important party. Think about three different perspectives of the invitation and how that will affect your feelings.
Situation: A friend invites you to a large party
Thought # 1: That sounds like an interesting party. Meeting new people is always fun!
Feelings: Excited, Happy.
Thought # 2: I don’t like parties. Staying at home to watch movies is much more enjoyable.
Feelings: Neutral.
Thought # 3: At parties, I don’t know what to say or how to act. I’ll be embarrassed if I attend.
Feelings: Sad, Anxious.
It is easy to see that people have different reactions to the same events. It all depends on our expectations, thoughts, and beliefs.
People with anxiety disorders are prone to anxiety and fear when they have negative thoughts. In cognitive behavioral treatment for anxiety, negative thoughts and beliefs are identified and corrected. You can also change your feelings if you change your thoughts.
CBT for Anxiety: Thought Challenging
It involves changing your negative, unrealistic thinking patterns to more realistic, positive ones. Three steps are involved:
1- Recognizing Negative Thoughts.
Anxiety disorders can cause people to perceive situations as being more dangerous than they are. A germ phobia, for example, can make shaking hands seem dangerous. It can be hard to recognize your own scary, irrational thoughts. Ask yourself why you felt anxious. Consult a therapist if necessary.
2- Overcoming Negative Thoughts.
In the second step, your therapist will show you how to identify and assess anxiety-provoking thoughts. This includes examining misguided beliefs and the evidence that supports your fears. It also involves assessing the validity or negative projections. Conducting experiments, assessing realistic probabilities of what you are afraid of happening, and evaluating for and against avoiding or worrying over your fear are all strategies to overcome negative thoughts.
3- Substituting Positive Thoughts for Negative Ones.
You can replace your anxious thoughts with more accurate, positive thoughts by identifying the distortions and irrational thoughts in your mind.
Your therapist can help you find realistic statements that you can use when you’re faced with a situation or anticipate one.
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