Anxiety! And How CBT Can Help
Are you feeling anxious?
If you are, you're not alone. Anxiety increased 25% worldwide during the pandemic (World Health Organization). Due to the increases in anxiety in adults, adolescents and children, the US Preventive Task Force has recommended screenings for anxiety disorders.
While anxiety helps keep us safe when driving in a bad storm or when we’re being chased by a moose, it crosses the line into a mental health issue when it starts to interfere with one's relationships and functioning. Anxiety disorders are the number one issue treated at CBTDenver and all of our therapists are experts in anxiety disorders.
How CBT works for anxiety
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for anxiety involves many different strategies for different aspects of anxiety. For one, anxiety has a physical component. When we're anxious our bodies respond physiologically to the perceived threat by gearing up for an emergency – our hearts beat faster, pupils dilate, alertness increases, muscles tense and we start sweating.
Sometimes, these symptoms are so intense people think they are seriously ill or having a heart attack and go to the ER only to find out that they were having an anxiety or panic attack.
The "B" in CBT involves behavioral strategies to calm down the body's response to the perceived threat through breathing and relaxation exercises. The behavioral component of CBT for anxiety also involves learning to face your fears so they don't get in the way of living the life you want to live and doing the things that are important to you.
Accepting Your Anxiety
Anxiety also has a cognitive component: worries, what ifs (which is its own type of anticipatory anxiety), and images of worst-case scenarios. The "C" in CBT involves responding to these thoughts and images in a different, more helpful way. Decades of research on CBT for anxiety shows that it is as or more effective than medications and other forms of therapy for anxiety. CBT is generally short-term, skills-based and goal-directed.
One of the most important aspects of anxiety CBT will help you with, is accepting anxiety rather than fighting it. There is often a stigma attached to anxiety for which we feel shame; this causes us to try and suppress our anxiety in unhealthy ways, ranging from avoidance behavior to self-medicating, etc. It is important to accept anxiety as a part of your current experience and working with it rather than against it, and CBT will help you build these skills.
CBT Denver Can Help You Ease the Struggle
Navigating anxiety can be very difficult when it interferes with your every-day life and relationships. It can be easy to fall into different types of avoidance behavior or pushing yourself and your body unnecessarily.
If you or a loved one is struggling with anxiety or has been told by your doctor that your anxiety screening came back showing the need for intervention, we're here to help. Our team of compassionate and specialist experts, will find the right CBT approach for you.
- Antonia Pieracci, Ph.D.