Book Review: The Anxiety Management Workbook

Although it is a normal human emotion and an adaptive response to threatening situations, anxiety can feel overwhelming, often trapping us in a loop of automatic thoughts that lead to physiological responses that convince us something is wrong. The result is a host of behaviors that help us avoid anything that triggers our anxiety, but which, over time, only causes it to increase. Moreover, should we reach for something to help us calm down — such as alcohol, a cigarette, or marijuana — it can make our anxiety even worse. Overcoming anxiety, says Renee Mill, takes more than a little practice. In her new book, The Anxiety Management Workbook: A 10-Session Program to Help You Beat Anxiety, Mill lays out the specific exercises that help identify, contain, and manage anxiety, and in the process, teach your brain to function better. The first step is to monitor ourselves, writing down when we exercise, relax, have negative thoughts, or felt anxious. When you do this, “You will learn how to identify what’s going on with you at any given time (in terms of beliefs/thoughts/feelings and behaviors/responses),” writes Mill. One tip Mill gives is to put things perspective and avoid using catastrophic language to describe everyday troubles. She writes, “When you use catastrophic terms to describe everyday hassles, your brain believes there is danger and sets off a fight/flight reaction.” Perspective also helps us separate fears from facts and understand that events l...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Anxiety Book Reviews Disorders General Healthy Living Mindfulness Motivation and Inspiration Neuroscience Psychology Relaxation and Meditation Self-Help Treatment anxiety management book anxiety management workbook anxiety work Source Type: news