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

Table of Contents

                            Contents
Who this Book is for
Acknowledgements
Dedication
1 The Black Hole of Anxiety
	Getting equipped
	Group members talk
	Ways of using this book
	Exercise
	Group members talk
PART ONE
	2 Are You Sure it’s Anxiety?
		Seeing the doctor
		What will the doctor do?
		How shall I talk to the doctor?
		What will happen next?
		Group members talk about diagnosis
	3 Depression
		Can I work on my anxiety while I have depression?
		Group members talk about treatment
	4 Anxiety Disorders
		Panic attacks
		Phobias
		Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)
		Feeling unreal
		Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
		Understanding the difference between OCD and phobias
		Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
		Children and young people
		Keeping an anxiety diary
		Group members talk about the Anxiety experience
	5 Helping Yourself to Overcome Anxiety
		Qualities needed for self-help
		Questionnaire – are you ready for recovery?
		Group members talk about moving towards recovery
	6 Two Key Skills: Goal Setting and Relaxation
		Key skill – goal setting
		Goals need to be realistic
		Choose specific goals
		Break goals down into small steps
		Keep a record of goals and progress
		Learn from your failures
		Repeat your goals
		Example of goal setting – running the marathon
		Breakdown of first goal
		Key skill – learning to relax fully
		Group members talk about relaxation
	7 Causes of Anxiety Disorders
		How do anxiety disorders develop?
		Task – measure your stress
		Group members talk about the build-up to anxiety
	8 The Connection between Mind, Body and Spirit
		Values and beliefs
		Understanding more about your body
		Changing your breathing
		Key skill – breathing exercise one
		Group members talk about breathing
	9 Taking Exercise to Help Anxiety
		Exercise options
		Establishing a personal exercise programme
		Exercise ladder
		Group members talk about exercise
	10 Examining Your Diet
		Task – recording what you eat
		Food and drink
		Your eating pattern
		Breakfast is important
		Group members talk about food and drink
	11 More about Diet
		Understanding the effects of caffeine
		Checklist – food and drink
		Compare your diaries
		Group members talk about caffeine
	12 Understanding Alcohol, Nicotine and Other Drugs
		Alcohol
		Nicotine
		Prescription drugs
		Street drugs
		Set your goals
		Group members talk about alcohol, nicotine and other drugs
	13 Your Sleep Patterns
		Worrying about sleep
		Task – deal with your sleep
		Compare your diaries
		Group members talk about sleep
	14 Positive Experiences
		The value of laughter
		Social contacts
		Getting out into the fresh air
		Animals
		Group members talk about positive experiences
	15 Achieving Life Balance and Managing Your Time
		Why anxiety strikes after a stressful event
		Assessing your life balance
		Group members talk about life balance
	16 Review – Lifestyle Changes
		Summary of tasks so far
		Dealing with difficult tasks
		Group members talk about taking small steps
PART TWO
	17 Taking the Next Step
		Overview
		Effects of anxiety
		Group members talk about anxiety behaviours
	18 Examining Anxiety Behaviours
		Escape
		Avoidance
		Doing less
		Safety behaviours
		Effects of anxiety behaviours
		Exercise
		Group members talk about safety behaviours
	19 What Do You Want to Achieve?
		Examining your responses
		Be precise about your fears
		Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
		Group members talk about recovery
	20 Looking at Change and Risk
		Key skill – accepting change
		Finding the motivation for change
		Key skill – taking risks
		Learning to accept risk
		Group members talk about the recovery process
	21 How Your Anxiety Affects Your Friends and Family
		Telling someone about your anxiety problem
		Carers
		Group members talk about sharing and isolation
	22 Learning about Exposure Work
		Working out an exposure plan
		Listing your goals
		Group members talk about exposure for panic and phobias
		Exposure work for OCD
		Group members talk about exposure for OCD
		Exposure for panic attacks
		Coping with a panic attack
		Breathing during panic attacks and exposure work
		More about breathing
		Group members talk about panic
	23 Planning Your Exposure
		Exposure ladders
		Visualisation
		Panic ladder
		Agoraphobia ladder
		Specific phobia ladder
		Generalised anxiety disorder ladder
		Travel phobia ladders
		Social phobia ladder
		Group members talk about exposure
	24 Exposure for OCD
		Understanding compulsions
		Example: compulsive hand washing
		OCD with compulsive thoughts
		Group members talk about obsessions and compulsions
	25 Working with a Helper
		Arranging help with panic and phobia exposure
		Arranging help with OCD exposure
		Stopping rituals and compulsive thoughts
		Asking for reassurance
		Group members talk about working towards recovery
	26 Exposure – Coping Skills
		Your body
		Your helper
		Mental distractions
		Physical distractions
		Relaxation
		Emotions
		Thoughts
		Plan an escape route
		Reward system
		Group members talk about coping skills
	27 Exposure – Your First Goal
		Julie’s exposure – phobia
		Andrew’s exposure – OCD
	28 Plateaux and Setbacks
		Plateaux
		Setbacks
		Dealing with plateaux and setbacks
		Group members talk about plateaux and setbacks
PART THREE
	29 Anxiety on Trial
		Group members talk
	30 Let the Trial Commence
		Working with thoughts
		OCD and thoughts
		Group members talk about negative thoughts
	31 The First Two Charges Against Anxiety
		Anxiety is charged with wilfully misinterpreting the world
		Exercise
		Anxiety is charged with changing your thought patterns
		Exercise
		Group members talk about anxious thoughts
	32 Anxiety is Charged with Distorting Your Personality
		The worrier
		The critic
		The victim
		The perfectionist
		Exercise
		Ways of countering the four personalities
		Group members talk about sub-personalities
	33 Anxiety is Charged with Extreme Thinking
		Ways of countering extreme thinking
		Group members talk about extreme thinking
	34 Anxiety is Charged with Selective Attention
		Ways of countering selective attention
		Group members talk about selective attention
	35 The Final Charges Against Anxiety
		Anxiety is charged with distorting your intuition
		Anxiety is charged with creating self-reproach
		Ways of countering distorted intuition and self-reproach
		Group members talk about negative thought patterns
	36 Another Approach – Logical Argument
		An example of Socratic questioning
		More questions to ask yourself
		Socratic argument and OCD
	37 The Verdict
		Changing your anxious thinking
		Checklist – coping skills for cognitive work
		Group members talk about coping skills
	38 Other Techniques to Use to Change Your Thinking
		Testing your cognitive work
		Cognitive work and OCD
		Testing cognitive work for OCD
		After the session – all anxiety disorders
		Brooding
		Group members talk about making changes
	39 More about Thought Processes
		Core beliefs
		Identifying your core beliefs
		Group members talk
	40 The Vicious Circle
		Core beliefs that drive the vicious circle
		OCD and core beliefs
		Group members talk
	41 Working on Your Negative Core Beliefs
		Examining your negative core beliefs
		Challenging your negative core beliefs
		Group members talk about dealing with the past
	42 Changing Your Negative Core Beliefs
		Using counter statements for negative core beliefs
		Be your own researcher
		Group members talk
	43 Summary of Work with Core Beliefs
PART FOUR
	44 Why Me?
		Understanding emotions
		Simple emotions
		Complex emotions
		Repression and anxiety
		Group members talk about feelings
	45 Dealing with Withheld Feelings
		Expressing your feelings
		Identifying your negative emotions
		Group members talk about becoming open to feelings
	46 Assertiveness
		Assertiveness and anxiety
		Group members talk about assertiveness
	47 Self-confidence and Self-esteem
		Building confidence and self-esteem
		Healing your inner child
		Group members talk about self-esteem
	48 Problems and Decisions
		Decision making
		Problem solving
	49 The Meaning of Life
		Are you resisting recovery?
		Facing up to difficult issues
		Group members talk about encouragment
	50 Dealing with Maintenance Factors – Summary
		Checklist for maintenance factors
		Group members talk – words of wisdom
	51 Finale
		How are you feeling?
		Group members talk about recovery
	52 It’s Okay to be Me
		Further help
		Goodbye to the group
Extra Information
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Index
	A
	B
	C
	D
	E
	F
	G
	H
	L
	M
	N
	O
	P
	R
	S
	T
	U
	V
	W
	Y