Cognitive-behavioral tricks to managing anxiety

Anxiety can interfere with daily routines and affect your lifestyle. It doesn't need to be that way. You can use cognitive-behavioural therapy techniques to reduce the anxiety in your life.

Do you suffer from panicky feelings, repetitive thoughts, and fears that won't go away? If so, you may have an anxiety disorder.

The Clinical Guidelines for the Management of Anxiety Disorders cites the following symptoms of general anxiety disorder (GAD):

• Uncontrollable and excessive worry occurring more days than not, about a number of everyday, ordinary experiences or activities. Often accompanied by physical symptoms (for example, headaches or upset stomach)
• Intolerance of uncertainty

Anxiety disorders require professional care, but here are cognitive behavioural techniques you can try on your own.

How you think about your current situation influences how you feel. Ask yourself, "What am I telling myself about this situation?"

• For instance, fear of going in an elevator might be marked by thoughts like, "What if the elevator gets stuck? Elevators have been known to fall."
• Challenge the reality of this situation: "How likely is it that the elevator might get stuck?
• In reality, do elevators easily fall, or is that the stuff of movies?"
• As you bring more information into a situation, you will see your anxiety decrease.

Often anxiety is marked by negative thinking. Thoughts snowball in your brain, creating a logjam of negativity: "I am a failure. I'll never accomplish this. Everyone is looking at me."

You can substitute more realistic thinking for out-of-control thoughts.

• For example, "I failed at that task, but I am not a failure."
• "People learn through their mistakes, so I will continue to improve."
• "Other people are too busy to be paying attention to me."

The insertion of positive thoughts to replace the negative one interrupts the cycle of panic and can help to reduce anxiety.

This technique works to create a relaxed physical state. By systematically slowing down your breaths, you create a state of deep relaxation as your body receives the physiological message that all is well.

• Despite what your brain is telling you, anxiety can't stay high in a relaxed environment.
• Practising relaxation techniques when you are less anxious will give you an effective tool to use later when you are overcome by worry or panic.

To sum, cognitive behavioural techniques like challenging your fears, thinking realistically and calming your breathing are all effective in lowering anxiety and worry and helping you to function better in day to day life.