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Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with Anxiety
Using Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) with anxiety can be a great way to manage your symptoms and challenges. If you're looking for anxiety therapy, read our guide on what to expect with CBT.
In the United States, over 40 million adults struggle with an anxiety disorder. If you're feeling anxious, lacking confidence or motivation, or struggling to cope with stress, know that you're not alone.
Anxiety can feel overwhelming. You may feel like you're unable to function or cope with your fears. A therapist can help guide you through the process of anxiety therapy.
Keep reading to learn more about anxiety and how anxiety therapy can help you.
Anxiety Defined
Many people feel anxious throughout their lives. Things such as finances, family matters, and health concerns are bound to make you feel anxious from time to time.
Clinical anxiety, on the other hand, is more than a temporary moment of concern; it doesn't go away, and it often gets worse if left untreated.
Before we dive into the benefits of CBT with anxiety, let's look at the different types of anxiety disorders.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is different from everyday anxiety in that the feeling doesn't go away. People with GAD have anxiety that interferes with their everyday lives. They may have trouble sleeping, worry excessively, or feel irritable without explanation.
Panic Disorder
People with a panic disorder suffer from frequent panic attacks. A panic attack is a sudden period of intense fear or anxiety without the presence of danger. When someone has a panic disorder, they will often worry about when the next panic attack will occur and how they will prevent it.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety disorders stem from the fear of being watched or judged by the people around you. The fear may cause people to feel anxious about attending school, going to work, or completing everyday tasks.
Phobia-related Disorders
A phobia is an intense fear of something, from animals to activities. People with phobia-related disorders view situations as far more dangerous than they actually are. They often go out of their way to avoid the thing that they're afraid of, and when they do have to face their fear, they're overcome by severe anxiety.
How does CBT with Anxiety work?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a treatment approach that helps people identify negative thought patterns and behaviors. The goal of CBT with anxiety is to change thinking patterns in order to learn to better cope with the stresses of life.
CBT is well-known within the world of psychology, and many therapists take this approach when working with patients.
Therapists use CBT to treat depression, anxiety, phobias, eating disorders, and addictions. CBT is one of the most common approaches to therapy because it has been well studied and proven to work.
CBT also helps people learn to change their behavioral patterns. Therapists may use exposure therapy in addition to relaxation techniques.
Over time, CBT helps people learn to be their own therapists through the use of in-session exercises and "homework" assignments.