Idiot's Guides: Overcoming Anxiety

325 Pages·2014·2.62 MB·English

by  Joni E Johnston

No one likes a know-it-all. Most of us realize there’s no such thing—how could
there be? The world is far too complicated for someone to understand everything
there is to know. So when you come across a know-it-all, you smile to yourself
as they ramble on because you know better.
You understand that the quest for knowledge is a never-ending one, and you’re
okay with that. You have no desire to know everything, just the next thing. You
know what you don’t know, you’re confident enough to admit it, and you’re
motivated to do something about it.
At Idiot’s Guides, we, too, know what we don’t know, and we make it our
business to find out. We find really smart people who are experts in their fields
and then we roll up our sleeves and get to work, asking lots of questions and
thinking long and hard about how best to pass along their knowledge to you in
the easiest, most-accessible way possible.
After all, that’s our promise—to make whatever you want to learn “As Easy as It
Gets.” That means giving you a well-organized design that seamlessly and
effortlessly guides you from page to page, topic to topic. It means controlling the
pace you’re asked to absorb new information—not too much at once but just
what you need to know right now. It means giving you a clear progression from
easy to more difficult. It means giving you more instructional steps wherever
necessary to really explain the details. And it means giving you fewer words and
more illustrations wherever it’s better to show rather than tell.
So here you are, at the start of something new. The next chapter in your quest. It
can be an intimidating place to be, but you’ve been here before and so have we.
Clear your mind and turn the page. By the end of this book, you won’t be a
know-it-all, but your world will be a little less complicated than it was before.
And we’ll be sure your journey is as easy as it gets.
Mike Sanders
Publisher, Idiot’s Guides

ALPHA BOOKS
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IDIOT’S GUIDES and Design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
International Standard Book Number: 978-1-61564-634-0
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 214938375
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Publisher: Mike Sanders
Executive Managing Editor: Billy Fields
Executive Acquisitions Editor: Lori Cates Hand
Development Editor: John Etchison
Senior strong Editor: Janette Lynn
Cover Designer: Laura Merriman
Book Designer: William Thomas
Indexer: Tonya Heard
Layout: Ayanna Lacey
Proofreader: Gene Redding
Contents
Part 1: Exploring Anxiety
1 Just the Jitters?
What Is Anxiety?
Physical Symptoms: From Butterflies to Insomnia
Emotional Symptoms: Fear
Cognitive Symptoms: Thoughts
Behavioral Symptoms: Either Take Charge or Run Away!
Donny Osmond: A Familiar Face with Anxiety
Cautious, Nervous, or Dealing with a Disorder?
Context and Continuum
States and Traits
How Bad Is It?
Assess Yourself: How Much Is Too Much?
Primary Anxiety or Something Else?
What’s the Difference?
2 The Anxiety Disorders
What’s the Diagnosis?
The Pros and Cons of Labels
Co-occurrence
Difficulty with Objectivity
Cultural Differences
The Anxiety Disorders
Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Chronic Worry
Social Anxiety Disorder: Beyond Butterflies
Panic Disorder: The Tsunami of Anxiety
Agoraphobia: Fear of the Marketplace
Specific Phobia: Targeted Fear
Related Conditions
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: The Broken Record
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: The Endless Movie
Depression: Churchill’s Black Dog
Anxiety’s Effects on Others
3 Why Me?
Who Gets Anxiety Disorders?
Psychology and Anxiety
Behavior
When Twisted Thinking Leads to Anxiety
Biology
The Fear Pathway
Life Experience and Anxiety
What’s the Cause—Genes or Environment?
What Triggers Your Anxiety?
4 What to Expect on the Path to Recovery
Values
Anxiety’s Costs
Developing the Right Attitude
I Am Not Ashamed of Myself or My Symptoms
Anxiety Is My Teacher; What Can I Learn?
Symptoms Are an Opportunity to Practice—Not a Test
Anxiety Is Uncomfortable, but It’s Not Dangerous
I Can’t Stand It. I’ve Got to Get Out of Here. What If It Gets Worse?
Remaining Motivated
Part 2: Fighting Your Way Through the Fright
5 Getting in Tune with Your Emotions
Feelings
Temperament
Parenting and Response Styles
Acknowledge Feelings
Managing Emotions
Vicious Cycles
Emotional Intelligence
Pitfalls on the Way to Better Emotion Management
Feelings Are Faster—and Stronger—Than Thoughts
Feelings and Thoughts Can Get Tangled Up
Self-Medication for Bad Feelings Can Backfire
Judging Your Feelings Doesn’t Help
Worry
Fine-Tuning Your Alarm System
6 Understanding and Managing Anger
Anxiety and Anger
What Is Anger?
Recognizing Anger
Misdirected Anger
The Personal Cost of Anger
Remaining Balanced
What to Do with Anger
Anger Diary
Pause Before Acting
7 Assertiveness
Doing Good—and Doing Yourself In
Conflict Avoidance and Anxiety
Saying “No”
An Assertive Attitude
Dealing with a Pet Peeve
What an Assertive Attitude Includes
The Many Benefits of Assertiveness
Acquiring Assertiveness Skills
Taking Responsibility
Practicing How to Say No
When You Have a Request
Delegation
The Cost of Not Delegating
Delegation Guidelines
Procrastination
What Procrastinators Fear
Overcoming Procrastination
Mental Space
Time Management
Part 3: Taming Those Alarming Ideas
8 Taming Your Thoughts
Thinking About Thoughts
Thinking Errors
Restructuring Thoughts
Defensive Pessimism: Preparing for the Sky to Fall
Putting Worries to Good Use
Are You a Defensive Pessimist?
Optimism
The Pros and Cons of Optimism
Guidelines for Balancing Optimism and Pessimism
9 Understanding Core Beliefs and Their Impact
Beliefs
Core Beliefs
Common Beliefs for Anxiety Sufferers
Common Dysfunctional Beliefs About Emotions
Effects of Core Beliefs
Beliefs About Others
The Need for Control
Core Beliefs Are Persistent
They’re Only Thoughts
Correcting Core Beliefs
10 Personality Traits and Anxiety
Personality Traits
Context
The Anxiety-Prone Personality
High Sensitivity
Perfectionism
The Need to Please
Owning Your Self-Esteem
Part 4: Boosting the Mind-Body Connection
11 Getting Help from Exercise and Breathing
The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise
How Does Exercise Help?
Exercise Is Rewarded by Your Body
Motivation to Exercise
Try an Exercise You Enjoy
Long-Term Motivation for Exercise
If It Seems Impossible
The Benefits of Breathing
12 Eating and Sleeping
Foods and Anxiety
Foods and Substances That Can Make Anxiety Worse
Foods That May Improve Mood
Thinking About How You Eat
Supplements and Herbal Remedies
Herbal Supplements
Trouble Sleeping
Sleep Stages
Improving Sleep
When Sleep Is Disrupted
13 Reducing Stress
What Is Stress?
Symptoms of Stress
The Right Amount of Stress
A Coping Inventory
Buffers Against Stress
Taking Action
Dealing with Uncomfortable Feelings
Developing Resources
Create a Stress Journal
Communication Under Stress
Keeping Cool Under Pressure
Responses to Severe Trauma
Part 5: Survive-and-Thrive Strategies for Diagnosed
Diagnosed Distress
14 Self-Help for Panic Disorder
Emotional Hijacking
Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder
Others May Not “Get It”
Panic, Phobias, and Other Problems
Preparing for a Panic Attack
Relaxation
Distraction
Approach Panic Differently
Refusing to Give In
Advanced Training
Practice
15 Self-Help for Phobias
Phobias Are Common
Complex Phobias
What Causes Phobias?
A Frightening Experience
Observation
Other Problems Linked to the Feared Object/Event
A Stressful Time
Reinforcement by Physical Symptoms
Reversing the Vicious Cycle
Let Anxiety Come
Allow Yourself to Relax
Calming Counts
The Ten-Second Grip
Arrange Your Fears in Order
The Three R’s: Reintroduce, Refocus, and Repeat
16 Self-Help for Social Anxiety
Feeling Scrutinized
Risk Factors for Social Anxiety
Social Fears
Fear of Negative Evaluation
The Spotlight Effect
Changing Behavior
Practice
Virtual Help or Avoidance
17 Getting Professional Help
Sarah’s Story
Evidenced-Based Treatments
Cognitive Therapy
Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Medication
SSRIs and SNRIs
Benzodiazepines
Azipirones
Virtual Reality
Alternative Therapies
Finding a Clinician
When to Say Enough Is Enough
Part 6: Keeping Anxiety from the Next Generation
18 Anxiety During and After Pregnancy
Anxiety During Pregnancy
Postpartum Anxiety
Beyond Worry
Why Me?
The Pregnancy Protection Myth
Pregnancy Planning
Medications During Pregnancy
Potential Risks of Taking Medication
Potential Risks of Not Taking Medication
Making the Decision
Treatment for Postpartum Anxiety
What About Fathers?
19 Raising Resilient Children
Highly Sensitive Children
Beware of Overprotectiveness
Perfectionistic Parenting
Resilience
Friendships
Coping with Anger
Handling Stress
20 Helping Anxious Children Recover
Childhood Anxiety
Stage Fright
Infants
Toddlers
Preschoolers
School-Age Children
Adolescents
Overcoming Childhood Fears
Finding the Middle Ground
Additional Strategies for Coping with Fears
Childhood Anxiety Disorders
Symptoms of Separation Anxiety