Lessening Worry Through Therapy
Unfortunately, many of us feel as if we are on the verge of
burnout.
We feel as if we have to worry about our children, our jobs,
and our relationships. At times, we may feel as if we are spinning out of
control.
It is as if we are engaging in a high wire act without a net.
We become frustrated and angry with ourselves because we do not think we are achieving
our potential. We can literally become lost in a sea of worry.
At one time, seeking therapy for such feelings of anxiety
would have been considered socially unacceptable. A few decades ago, many people
considered therapy to be an indulgence.
Mental health counseling had an incredible stigma attached to
it. However, today we see celebrities including Brooke Shields, Anne Heche, Marie Osmond,
and Jane Pauley who speak openly about seeking counseling for their problems.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy is no longer considered the domain
of the crazy and the weak.
Therapy can come in a variety of forms. It can involve
face-to-face counseling, self-help books, CDs, and online forums.
It has been said that there are as many as 100 therapy
programs on the market today. These programs share some common traits.
First, they assess how the individual is thinking and identify
any disruptions in thought patterns. It is important to get these thoughts out into the
open in order to deal with them effectively.
Second, the programs attempt to figure out an individuals
basic beliefs and whether these beliefs are founded on reliable principles.
Say, for instance, you become anxious about flying. Through
talk therapy, it is determined that this fear can be traced back to your concerns about
your grandmother, who once had an unpleasant flying experience en route to
Oklahoma.
You might have been worried about your grandmothers safety and
that, in turn, has led to an irrational fear of flying.
The next step is to gather evidence in order to combat
negative thinking. For instance, you might look for a statistic indicating how many
crashes a given airline has during a year.
When you discover how infrequently accidents occur, your
belief that flying is dangerous may be thrown out the window. The one sure-fire way to
fight negative thinking is to counteract it with reliable facts.
Another technique you can use to combat anxiety is to develop
coping mechanisms.
In other words, in order to not let your worry get the best of
you, you might try prayer and meditation, exercise, dancing, reading a good book, or
soaking in a hot tub.
You should keep a list of relaxation techniques handy so that
you can turn to them any time you are feeling particularly stressed out.
You will have to get into the habit of relaxation. This can be
quite difficult, especially for those with high-stress jobs. You may even consider taking
a class in relaxation techniques.
Once you utilize these techniques, you are likely to find
yourself better able to concentrate…better able to manage your feelings…and better able
to cope.
Literally millions of people have been assisted through
cognitive behavioral therapy.
While herbal remedies and prescription medications can
alleviate symptoms, they do not address the root causes of anxiety. Until we begin to
think positively, we cannot hope to attack the crux of our anxious feelings.
How do you find the therapist thats right for you? To begin
with, consult some of your trusted friends. Chances are someone in their families has
been to a counselor within the past six months.
You will want someone who is easy to talk to, with whom you
can share your innermost thoughts and feelings. If you try a therapist and you feel
uncomfortable, by all means switch to someone else.
Sometimes, finding the right counselor is a matter of trial
and error.
