Anxiety & Worry Treatment

In cognitive behavioral therapy, a basic assumption is that our feelings are caused by our thoughts and by learning how to change our thoughts, we can change our feelings too.

For example, a common problem that many individual’s face at some point in their lives is speaking in front of an audience- giving a talk in class, making a sales presentation, having job interview etc. In these situations, many report feeling highly anxious and that the anxiety causes a poorer performance then they are capable of.

So, where does the anxiety come from? The answer is it comes from our worries. In making presentations, there are three common unhealthy beliefs:

1. “I won’t do a good enough job.”
2. “Others will think less of me because of my poor performance.”
3.”I can’t stand the uncomfortable feelings of the anxiety.”

Anxiety is the fear of future negative events, 95% of which never even happen. As worry builds up in the brain, physical tension builds up in the body. The uncomfortable feelings triggers additional negative thoughts which send the sensations of anxiety even higher.

The treatment of worry and anxiety through cognitive behavioral therapy consists of teaching the individual how to relax the muscles in their body along with training in how to recognize, challenge and change the negative, unhealthy thoughts to positive, healthier thoughts.

The new thoughts around speaking in public might look something like this:

1. “I am reasonably prepared and will probably do just fine but even I don’t, it’s not the end of the world.”
2. “Others may like or not like my presentation but I can fully like and accept myself without their approval.”
3. “Even if I feel some anxiety I can tolerate it and learn to become less anxious with continued practice”.

If worry and anxiety are holding you back, call Dr. Robert Heller now at 561 451-2731 to see how you can live a more stress less life.