CBT for Anxiety - Part 2
Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is one of the most evidence-based and well-researched therapies that we have for treating anxiety disorders. This means that we have a lot of evidence to show that CBT reduces symptoms of anxiety and that it has long term effects of decreasing anxiety. In fact, we can see through brain imaging studies that CBT actually changes the structure of the brain to make it less anxious over time.
Anxiety is a Healthy Emotional Response
Anxiety is a normal, healthy emotional response to dangerous and threatening situations. In fact, anxiety is an adaptive response of the body and it helps us keep ourselves safe. If we think back to the Ice Age times, if a caveman was walking through the forest and came upon a Saber-toothed cat, he would immediately have a reaction of anxiety. His adrenaline would flow, his heart would start beating faster, and his breath would quicken. His body would be ready for a fight or flight. Ready to fight the Saber-toothed cat or run away and get to safety. This is the adaptive nature of anxiety. It helps our bodies get ready to confront a threat or get our bodies to safety by running away.
How Anxiety Turns into a Problem
In the 21st century, we're no longer walking through the forest and coming across a large animal that wants to eat us alive. But we still have the same adaptive mechanism within our body to help us to fight or flee dangerous situations. In today's times, the dangerous situation is replaced with a lot of ‘what if’ situations and anticipated threats. For example, what if my plane crashes, what if I fail the test, what if they don't call me back, what if I embarrass myself?
The trouble we run into with anxiety is that when we don't allow it to resolve naturally by riding the wave of anxiety and instead we prolonged the anxieties or thinking then we can develop anxiety disorders. The problem with anxiety disorders is that we overestimate the probability of an event happening and how bad the event will be if it happens AND we underestimate our ability to cope with the event or the feelings that come with an outcome. This type of thinking keeps us in the spiral of anxiety and keeps our bodies in a fight-or-flight state.
Focus your Thoughts with CBT for Anxiety
As I referenced in my last blog post, the foundation of CBT is to become aware of our thoughts. To treat anxiety, we must become very aware of our anxious thoughts and how they perpetuate and even increase our feeling of anxiety. Some of the most important thoughts to identify when trying to shift your anxiety our thoughts we call cognitive distortions or thinking mistakes. One of the most common mistakes, when you feel anxious or afraid, is the thinking error called Catastrophizing. Catastrophizing is overestimating the threat and danger and focusing on the worst possible outcome in the situation. Again, we overestimate the likelihood that an event will happen and overestimate how bad the outcome will be.
Ask Yourself
Here are some questions to ask yourself to figure out if you are catastrophizing.
What did I think was the worst thing that could happen to me in this situation?
What was I scared of or scared would happen in the situation?
In this situation what was I worried about?
If the worst-case scenario happened, what did I worry would happen next?
How bad would that actually be?
How likely is the worst-case scenario to happen?
What's the most likely thing to happen?
By asking yourself these questions you are working through the likelihood of the worst-case scenario to occur. Then you can reduce your anxiety about a feared situation. By changing the way we think through CBT for anxiety, we can often change the way we feel in our bodies.
Start Addressing your Symptoms with CBT for Anxiety in Los Angeles, CA
It's time to take the first step towards a happier, healthier you. At Flourishment Psychology, I offer Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as a form of anxiety treatment in Los Angeles.
CBT for anxiety is a proven therapy technique that focuses on changing negative thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to anxiety. By learning new coping skills and strategies, you can reduce your symptoms and improve your overall well-being.
Don't let anxiety control your life any longer. Follow these steps instead:
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