Free Yourself From Anxiety: A self-help guide to overcoming anxiety disorders

288 Pages·2009·1.09 MB·English

by  Emma Fletcher

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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978 1 84803 316 0

First edition 2009
First published in electronic form 2009

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Contents
Who this Book is for xiii
Acknowledgements xv
Dedication xvii
1 The Black Hole of Anxiety 1
Getting equipped 2
Group members talk 3
Ways of using this book 5
Exercise 6
Group members talk 8
PART ONE
2 Are You Sure it’s Anxiety? 11
Seeing the doctor 11
What will the doctor do? 12
How shall I talk to the doctor? 12
What will happen next? 13
Group members talk about diagnosis 14
3 Depression 15
Can I work on my anxiety while I have depression? 16
Group members talk about treatment 16
4 Anxiety Disorders 18
Panic attacks 18
Phobias 19
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) 20
Feeling unreal 20
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) 20
Understanding the difference between OCD and phobias 21
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 22
Children and young people 23
Keeping an anxiety diary 23
Group members talk about the Anxiety experience 25
5 Helping Yourself to Overcome Anxiety 26
Qualities needed for self-help 26
Questionnaire – are you ready for recovery? 28
Group members talk about moving towards recovery 29
v
FREE YOURSELF FROM ANXIETY
6 Two Key Skills: Goal Setting and Relaxation 30
Key skill – goal setting 30
Goals need to be realistic 30
Choose specific goals 30
Break goals down into small steps 30
Keep a record of goals and progress 31
Learn from your failures 31
Repeat your goals 31
Example of goal setting – running the marathon 31
Breakdown of first goal 32
Key skill – learning to relax fully 32
Group members talk about relaxation 34
7 Causes of Anxiety Disorders 35
How do anxiety disorders develop? 36
Task – measure your stress 36
Group members talk about the build-up to anxiety 38
8 The Connection between Mind, Body
and Spirit 39
Values and beliefs 40
Understanding more about your body 40
Changing your breathing 42
Key skill – breathing exercise one 43
Group members talk about breathing 44
9 Taking Exercise to Help Anxiety 45
Exercise options 46
Establishing a personal exercise programme 47
Exercise ladder 47
Group members talk about exercise 49
10 Examining Your Diet 50
Task – recording what you eat 50
Food and drink 50
Your eating pattern 52
Breakfast is important 52
Group members talk about food and drink 54
11 More about Diet 55
Understanding the effects of caffeine 55
Checklist – food and drink 56
Compare your diaries 56
Group members talk about caffeine 57
vi
CONTENTS
12 Understanding Alcohol, Nicotine and Other
Drugs 58
Alcohol 58
Nicotine 58
Prescription drugs 59
Street drugs 59
Set your goals 60
Group members talk about alcohol, nicotine and other drugs 61
13 Your Sleep Patterns 62
Worrying about sleep 62
Task – deal with your sleep 63
Compare your diaries 63
Group members talk about sleep 65
14 Positive Experiences 66
The value of laughter 66
Social contacts 67
Getting out into the fresh air 67
Animals 68
Group members talk about positive experiences 68
15 Achieving Life Balance and Managing Your
Time 69
Why anxiety strikes after a stressful event 70
Assessing your life balance 71
Group members talk about life balance 72
16 Review – Lifestyle Changes 73
Summary of tasks so far 73
Dealing with difficult tasks 74
Group members talk about taking small steps 76
PART TWO
17 Taking the Next Step 79
Overview 80
Effects of anxiety 81
Group members talk about anxiety behaviours 83
18 Examining Anxiety Behaviours 84
Escape 84
Avoidance 84
Doing less 85
Safety behaviours 85
vii
FREE YOURSELF FROM ANXIETY
Effects of anxiety behaviours 86
Exercise 86
Group members talk about safety behaviours 87
19 What Do You Want to Achieve? 88
Examining your responses 89
Be precise about your fears 90
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy 90
Group members talk about recovery 91
20 Looking at Change and Risk 92
Key skill – accepting change 93
Finding the motivation for change 94
Key skill – taking risks 95
Learning to accept risk 96
Group members talk about the recovery process 97
21 How Your Anxiety Affects Your Friends
and Family 98
Telling someone about your anxiety problem 99
Carers 100
Group members talk about sharing and isolation 100
22 Learning about Exposure Work 101
Working out an exposure plan 102
Listing your goals 102
Group members talk about exposure for panic and phobias 104
Exposure work for OCD 105
Group members talk about exposure for OCD 106
Exposure for panic attacks 107
Coping with a panic attack 107
Breathing during panic attacks and exposure work 108
More about breathing 109
Group members talk about panic 110
23 Planning Your Exposure 111
Exposure ladders 111
Visualisation 112
Panic ladder 112
Agoraphobia ladder 112
Specific phobia ladder 113
Generalised anxiety disorder ladder 113
Travel phobia ladders 114
Social phobia ladder 115
Group members talk about exposure 116
viii
CONTENTS
24 Exposure for OCD 117
Understanding compulsions 117
Example: compulsive hand washing 119
OCD with compulsive thoughts 119
Group members talk about obsessions and compulsions 121
25 Working with a Helper 122
Arranging help with panic and phobia exposure 123
Arranging help with OCD exposure 124
Stopping rituals and compulsive thoughts 124
Asking for reassurance 124
Group members talk about working towards recovery 125
26 Exposure – Coping Skills 126
Your body 126
Your helper 127
Mental distractions 127
Physical distractions 127
Relaxation 128
Emotions 128
Thoughts 128
Plan an escape route 128
Reward system 129
Group members talk about coping skills 130
27 Exposure – Your First Goal 131
Julie’s exposure – phobia 133
Andrew’s exposure – OCD 134
28 Plateaux and Setbacks 135
Plateaux 135
Setbacks 135
Dealing with plateaux and setbacks 136
Group members talk about plateaux and setbacks 138
PART THREE
29 Anxiety on Trial 141
Group members talk 142
30 Let the Trial Commence 143
Working with thoughts 143
OCD and thoughts 144
Group members talk about negative thoughts 146
ix