If you are living with anxiety, you know how exhausting and debilitating it can be. Getting counseling for anxiety issues is something that can help you overcome whatever is holding you back.
It doesn’t matter whether your anxiety is social, general, agoraphobic, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive, PTSD, or any other form of anxiety – they all take a toll on your life and well-being.
If left untreated, this will only get worse over time and lead to more serious illnesses such as depression and substance abuse. With that in mind, we want to help by sharing our experience in dealing with anxiety disorders using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps individuals reframe negative thoughts about themselves and their anxiety. It uses a structured format to identify specific problems that are affecting your life. This allows your therapist to create interventions that work towards solving these problems and achieving goals to improve your situation. This type of therapy does not aim to diagnose problems as medical disorders like other forms of psychotherapy do. Instead, it focuses on patterns of thinking as well as behavior that affect your mental well-being.
How Can Counseling for Anxiety Help?
CBT therapists help people with anxiety disorders identify the core issues that trigger their condition and how they can better manage these triggers through various techniques. This empowers them to feel less anxious by breaking down the cycle of avoidance that keeps them from living a full life; thus, allowing them to move forward and break free from the clutches of anxiety and depression – enabling them to live a more positive and fulfilling life.
One key principle is the coping skills model, which encourages individuals to analyze their problems & develop practical solutions. This helps overcome feelings of helplessness, instilling confidence in one’s ability to cope as opposed to relying on medication.
Here are different ways in which CBT benefits you and relieves anxiety:
Identify Distorted Thoughts
CBT focuses on identifying the thoughts that affect your anxiety and how to change this. For example, some people with social phobia feel the need to “prepare” for their next event or encounter; thus, using more time than they actually need. Instead of thinking negatively about this (e.g., “I’m not good enough”), you learn constructive ways to think about it (e.g., “It’s okay if I don’t know everyone at this party”).
Increase Awareness
CBT teaches individuals how to monitor their anxiety levels through activities like journaling or analyzing what triggers specific reactions, so they can better cope with them next time around. This exercise is based upon a principle which states that repeated exposure to a stimulus will result in a decrease of the emotional response to that stimulus.
For example, CBT therapists could have you sit in a crowded room while they watch for your anxiety levels to rise. Then, after some time has passed, they may ask you what was going through your mind during this period and how your body responded. The therapist can then help you identify possible triggers so you can better cope with these feelings in the future.
Create Goals
In CBT, individuals set their own goals with their therapist’s guidance – whether it focuses on specific tasks or working towards being more confident overall. This allows them to learn from their mistakes and continue improving over time until they reach their final goal(s).
Manage Negative Emotions
CBT helps individuals develop the ability to manage their negative emotions – including frustration, sadness, and anger. This allows them to better cope with anxiety-provoking situations before they spiral out of hand.
For example, CBT therapists may encourage you to keep a journal about your daily routine so you can see what’s working and what’s not. If a certain activity is exacerbating your feelings of anxiety, for instance, you will be able to pinpoint this and avoid it next time around.
Instill Positive Thoughts
Counseling for anxiety aims to replace negative thoughts with more positive ones in order to enhance your mental well-being. This requires a lot of work on your end, but the freedom that comes with overcoming anxiety is worth it. You can then begin focusing on your dreams without any anxiety holding you back.
