Untreated anxiety can create ongoing stress and affect your daily life. If you are dealing with anxious thoughts and behaviors, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help you shift your mindset towards healthier thoughts. Here’s how CBT can help:
Challenging Negative Beliefs
A͏ therapist can ͏use CB͏T to help ͏you deal͏ with your anxiety by recognizing exaggerated or irrational ͏thoughts that cause unnecessary fear. They also help ͏reframe your ͏mindset to be more balanced and rational. If you always get ͏anxious in social situations, your ͏therapist aids ͏you͏ in exploring evidence that supports or ͏challenges the anxious thoughts. ͏Anxious thoughts may include thinking that people don’t like you or are making fun of you behind your back.
By looking at ͏each situation thoughtfully, ͏you’ll learn that your fear may be due͏ to distorted thinking, not facts. You’ll also ͏replace the͏ anxious thoughts with realistic ones. This change in ͏thinking might decrease the emotional intensity of social͏ situations, encouraging you to interact more͏ with people.
Getting Exposure Therapy
CBT can also help you manage your anxiety through exposure therapy. It lets you face situations that terrify you in a gradual, controlled manner. Most anxious people tend to avoid dealing with their fears, which only worsen with time. Working with a therapist helps you confront frightening situations directly and recognize that the outcome you fear is unlikely to happen. If your most feared outcome occurs, the therapist teaches you how to handle the matter.
A person with generalized anxiety may be terrified of crowded places. Even though avoiding such a place offers temporary relief, it may increase their anxiety in the long run. Through exposure therapy, they’ll gain the courage to visit busy areas. A therapist guides them through imaginative exercises, envisioning themselves in a crowded setting. Future sessions might involve real-world exposure, such as standing near a busy area for a few minutes. Gradually, the individual becomes desensitized and may be able to visit packed spaces without fear.
Practicing Mindfulness
CBT can aid in slowing racing thoughts by practicing mindfulness and relaxing. Anxiety might cause symptoms like a racing heart, shortness of breath, or muscle tension. Your psychotherapist teaches you to be mindful, remain present, and acknowledge your feelings. If you frequently have panic attacks, the psychotherapist may guide you through deep breathing exercises that calm your heart and reduce the panic symptoms.
Mindful cognitive therapy helps you recognize your triggers and observe your thoughts without reacting to them. This approach calms you in tense situations, allowing you to respond in a controlled, healthy way. By reshaping your beliefs with mindfulness, CBT will equip you with techniques to use in everyday situations when your anxiety arises.
Get Therapy for Anxiety Today
Thanks to cognitive behavioral therapy, you can learn how to manage your anxious thoughts, face your fears, and act with composure. A therapist offers the support you need to treat the disorder by challenging negative thinking, getting exposure treatment, and practicing mindfulness. Make an appointment for psychological services today to work toward better mental health.
