When Faced With Anxiety, Think Like a Lawyer?

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If you've ever experienced anxiety, you're not alone.

In fact, it’s the most common mental health issue in the US, affecting up to 40 million people a year. That’s nearly 20% of the US adult population.

Within that huge number of people is a wide range of experiences. You might feel anxiety in a very mild way or you might experience something more chronic.

Learn some of the causes of anxiety.

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CBT Is Here to Help with Anxiety

While there are many causes and factors in anxiety, what's on your mind is a key factor.

And that’s exactly why Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT for short) can help!

CBT's commonly used to treat anxiety. The therapeutic practice focuses on identifying and improving the thoughts and actions that don't benefit your wellbeing.

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Learn more about the benefits of CBT Therapy

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By applying CBT's approach you can learn better ways of coping and find relief.

The benefits of CBT:

• Minimize the feeling of anxious thoughts
• Feel increased ease and self-confidence
• Feel more capable in handling your own anxiety
• Be able to work through your fears

Different from more traditional forms of talk therapy, CBT focuses on actively working to change patterns of thinking and behavior through a variety of techniques. These include evaluating your thinking in a realistic light.

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Think Like a Lawyer

A key CBT-practice to combat anxious thoughts is to put your worries on trial...in your mind.

When feeling anxious or stressed, ask yourself: 

• How am I feeling?
• What made me feel this way?
• What did this make me think about myself?
• What facts support this?
• What evidence is there to the contrary?
• Is there any other way to view this situation?
• How do I feel now? 
• Is there anything that could help me feel even better? 
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Calm Anxious Thoughts with CBT

By bringing anxious thoughts or fears out of your head and writing them in your journal (or sharing them with your CBT therapist), you can more objectively look at them. This can also help you see that they’re a temporary state and not who you are.

By using a rational, objective approach—just like a lawyer— you can better understand your anxiety, learn how to work with it, and in some cases, let it go.

So the next time you feel anxiety pop up, take a moment to pause, ask questions, and learn what it has to teach you.