by Dr. Jennifer Fee
Thoughts are a powerful trigger for anxiety. Our cognitions can maintain, elevate, or lower our level of anxiety. Today I would like to give you a few tips to help you identify thoughts that might be contributing to your anxiety, as well as show you how a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist (CBT) might help you to start to address those thoughts.
First, let me tell you about two clients, Jim* and Alice. Like virtually all of my clients who suffer from panic attacks or high levels of anxiety, Jim was sharing with me how scary and terrible it is to experience his physical symptoms. “It’s like nothing else,” he stated, “my heart starts pounding, I’m out of breath, I’m lightheaded, I can’t stand the feelings!” I looked at Jim. He was an active 21-year-old college student. At this point in our therapy I did not know much about what he liked to do for fun, but on a hunch I asked, “Jim, do you like to ride roller coasters?“
He paused, and said, “Well, yes, actually I love roller coasters.” “What do you like about them?” I queried. Jim replied, “I like anticipation of going up a big hill. I love the speed and the quick turns.” “What are you feeling in your body as you’re going up the hill?” Jim grinned. He had already caught on to where I was going with the questions. “Well, my heart is pounding, I feel butterflies in my stomach.” “And how do you feel when you get off the roller coaster?” I continued. “Light-headed. It’s hard to walk. A little out of breath.“
“Basically you feel the same symptoms in your body while riding a roller coaster as when you are experiencing a panic attack while sitting on your sofa.” “But, it’s not the same!” Jim protested at first, “riding roller coasters is fun. Having a panic attack is not!“
Jim’s argument essentially made my point for me. His cognitive interpretation of riding roller coasters is that it is fun. His cognitive interpretation of a panic attack is that it is terrible.
For those of you who cannot fathom anyone believing that riding a roller coaster could be fun, I will tell you about Alice. Alice was an avid exerciser. Alice was also afraid of when she experienced anxiety that she would have a heart attack because her heart was beating fast. “Alice,” I asked, “Why do you run on the treadmill every morning?” Alice looked at me as if I had just asked a very dumb question. “Cardiovascular exercise is good for my heart,” she replied. “So you make your heart beat fast on purpose?” “Well, yes, of course.” “And that doesn’t scare you?”, I continued. “Of course not!” She replied, a little annoyed.
Again, same symptom but a different interpretation. One interpretation leads to panic, the other no panic.
Interpretation of thoughts is key for controlling anxiety.
Identifying Thoughts
In order to change your interpretation about anxiety, you must first have a lot of knowledge of what your thoughts are. Countless times I’ve asked people “What were you thinking when you started feeling anxious?” Countless times I’ve gotten the answer, “I don’t know.” It may sound amazing, but it is possible to have thoughts without being aware that we’re having thoughts. [read more]
When times are tough (as they are for many families this summer) and the news is grim (on TV, in the paper, and online), we would all do well to remember the Good News!
