Anxiety is a common reason for people to seek help from mental health professionals, and research suggests that there are several effective psychological treatments available. A psychologist will take time to understand your individual situation and work with you to find the best way of working with you to improve your situation over a number of sessions. Their strategy will depend on how your anxiety developed, what triggers your anxiety, and how you are affected by it.
Some of the techniques they might use include:
Cognitive behaviour therapy
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) has been found to be the most effective treatment for anxiety disorders. CBT helps you change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours that can contribute to anxiety and aims to build skills to manage anxiety when it arises. CBT for anxiety includes some of the following strategies:
- Education about the nature of anxiety and the importance of self-monitoring one’s symptoms.
- Cognitive restructuring: a technique used by psychologists to help a person to challenge negative thoughts and develop more helpful and constructive ways of thinking.
- Problem-solving: a technique used to help a person work through day-to-day problems. Problem-solving has been shown to help people feel more confident in tackling life’s challenges, and to decrease general anxiety. Structured problem solving involves identifying the problem, developing a range of potential solutions, selecting one to test out, implementing the solution and evaluating its helpfulness.
- Exposure therapy: a treatment in which the psychologist guides the person through a series of real or imaginary scenarios to confront specific fears. Through this gradual process, the person learns to cope more effectively with these fears, and with practise, the anxious response naturally decreases so you are more comfortable when undertaking that activity.
- Relaxation: a range of techniques such as meditation or progressive muscle relaxation which, when practised regularly, have been found to effectively reduce anxiety.
Acceptance and commitment therapy
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has been found to effective in the treatment of anxiety. Using mindfulness, instead of avoiding, withdrawing, or fighting against anxious thoughts, feelings and physical symptoms, the person is helped to remain present and aware of the symptoms, without judging them. Over time, the person becomes more open to and accepting of anxious experiences, less overwhelmed by them, and better able to engage fully with life.
Lifestyle changes
Lifestyle changes such as getting regular exercise, reducing alcohol and caffeine intake, taking part in enjoyable activities, improving time-management skills and getting adequate sleep can help reduce anxiety.