The 10 commandments to overcome anxiety

A dozen guidelines and psychological keys to manage anxiety effectively.

Many people come to me because of anxiety problems they suffer from on a daily basis, so that I can help them find a solution and guide them in the recovery process. It is normal, given that in these cases the most effective and guaranteed solution is to put themselves in the hands of psychologists.

However, there are also a series of guidelines for anxiety management that you can apply to the day to day on your own.

The 10 keys to cope with anxiety problems and overcome them.

I always like to prepare my consultations as objectively and clearly as possible; after all, the person who seeks professional help is investing money in something as basic as their health, and in order not to fall into the lecture therapy and other wastes of time, it is necessary to prepare bibliography focused on practical exercises that each patient can do from one session to another, and most importantly, that each patient can do from one session to another.and more importantly, that give way to learning that will remain for the future when the therapy is over.

Anxiety and panic attacks are problems that should be treated by a specialist. Health is not a gameEven if you have had bad experiences with other psychologists before, you are not going to stop believing in the light because a light bulb blows.

I suffered from panic attacks when I was a student; I went to psychologists who listened to me for an hour (yes, I say listened, not heard) and ended the consultation without getting anything clear and without giving me any useful tool or exercise. I also read books by supposed coaches or gurus who believed that without any academic training or health qualification in the field they knew the theoretical and practical keys of these disorders because they had suffered from anxiety, and in the end I realized that a good treatment must include, in addition to a good academic training and experience of the professional, an experience living with anxiety to know what the day to day of this disease is like. That is to say, a combination of the academic aspect and the experiential aspect..

On this occasion I bring you a gift; I want you to make yourself comfortable and read carefully these "commandments" to overcome anxiety and panic attacks. They are clear and practical, without beating around the bush, and I can assure you that I have prepared them thoroughly based on my experiences as a patient and as a professional, using a method patented by me. They are not the definitive solution, of course, but they will help you deal with anxiety in a better way. I leave you with them.

1. Change is born in you

The psychologist is not a judge, much less a parent who scolds you, he is simply a coach who gives you a better way to deal with your anxiety.The psychologist is simply a coach who gives you guidelines to follow so that you can apply them little by little and see the results. The commitment to change is important, and will be what will mark the therapy. You have the key!

2. When we feel something we are exaggerating the sensations

Your head acts as a grandmother and always exaggerates the dangers. Be clear that she is not a doctor and does not have the capacity to give you the diagnosis of what is happening to you; you don't have a psychologist inside your head, or a psychiatrist, or any other type of doctor.. So, before these sensations, be cautious. The brain gives us that message and we purify it.

3. We will take fear as an opportunity to progress.

Only if I expose myself to fears will I see that those symptoms are unreal. From fears we learn, and that is why I want you to live them as a possibility to learn.

4. The sensations are unpleasant, not dangerous.

Everything you feel is temporary. If you spend more than half an hour thinking that your knee hurts, you will feel pain, and this sensation is unpleasant, but it does not mean that your kneecap has broken. The more attention you pay, the more the symptom increases. Be clear that irrational thoughts increase anxiety.

5. Float with fear

The brain has a hard time thinking this, because it wants to have that false control over everything. It thinks that the body itself tends to equilibrium, and it is impossible to be always on sustained alert if the sensation in question is not nourished..

6. Observe what happens to you, not what you fear might happen.

Once, talking to a patient in a therapy session, he told me that he was suffering from strong tensions in his arms and that they were falling asleep. We created a series of what I call tests, and he finally saw that this was a false phenomenon, and that these tensions were due to the exercises he was doing with weights and were simply stiffness.

7. Fear doesn't learn, you do

It always stays the same, but you can learn how to contain it and deal with it so that you know how to overcome it.. You know how your fear is and where it usually appears, live it and learn where those triggering stimuli that trigger that feeling come from.

8. When you stop feeding it, the fear stops appearing/begins to disappear.

Because of this, it is normal at that moment to feel fear; you can let it be, don't worry, it will pass.

9. Learn the ABC's

Antecedent (triggering event), Believe (thought), Consequences (emotion, feeling). With this simple scheme you will see the points on which a negative thought, or as I say, a trigger of negative emotions, is based. or as I say, a trigger of negative emotions, and thus you will know the mechanism that follows.

10. Recognize the breakthrough

Many times, in therapy, we get discouraged because we believe that we have not made enough progress. This process that some patients engage in almost unknowingly is called self-boycotting, and it is quickly resolved by stopping to examine what you could do before and after therapy.. Seeing the progress (if it has been positive) will motivate you to keep working.

Concluding

Observe these points and try to apply them in your daily life. They are the basis of change in the face of anxiety problems, and something you have to keep in mind. I also invite you to take them as inspiration and you can create a psychological tool that works for you.

Anxiety problems? I help you

If you are interested in improving your life and reduce your anxiety with an external help from a specialist in order to have an objective opinion and overcome the problem, do not hesitate to contact me.

My name is Javier AresI am a General Health Psychologist and I specialize in problems related to anxiety, as well as in the field of couple therapy. I offer the possibility of starting the sessions without the need to move, and with a price adapted to the times. In this page you will find my contact information as well as other relevant aspects about the way I work.