Kate F. Hays, PhD, CPsych, CC-AASP, founder of The Performing Edge in Toronto, ON, Canada; and past president of the Society for Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology Some readers may find the book’s focus on cognitive-behavioral therapy to be too narrow, as other therapeutic approaches may also be effective in managing worry and anxiety. This is why people notice "the harder I try, the worse it gets". They're putting out fires with gasoline.

You'll have thoughts that tell you something bad could possibly happen sometime in the future. And that's true. Its always true, whether you have thoughts about it or not. Anything is possible, bad things sometimes do happen, and nobody knows the future.” I can say that after reading this book, I have taken away a more insightful approach to my worry and why it happens, and I have started to use techniques that are helping me handle it so that it doesn't consume me. And also that I am having less of the same worrisome thoughts over and over. The author offers practical strategies for managing worry and anxiety that are grounded in cognitive-behavioral therapy.Whenever you notice a “what if” thought, eat one of those Tic Tacs. This is how you will count your worries. After a week, you’ll be much better at noticing these thoughts, and start observing them passively. Always keep in mind that exposure is practice with fear, and do nothing to oppose, avoid, or distract from the fear during exposure. You’ve already seen that shutting them out makes them worse, so give them the time to be heard. Don’t try to fix them, or change them, or argue with them – just let yourself worry. But if you suffer from excess worry, things look different. You experience doubts about the future as if they were immediate dangers.

Types of Worry: Carbonell identifies two types of worry: “prophesying” and “torturing.” Prophesying worry involves predicting negative outcomes, while torturing worry involves dwelling on the potential negative outcomes. The book provides practical strategies for dealing with both types of worry. Hopefully now you’ve been able to identify your relationship with worry, and realize that a counterintuitive problem needs a counterintuitive response. It may surprise you to hear that what you worry about, the specific content of your worrisome thoughts, isn't usually all that important. What's most important is how you relate to your worrisome thoughts, whatever their content may be.” understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert Ask yourself this: What’s going to happen tomorrow? If it’s a weekday, maybe you’ll wake up at the usual time. Go to work. Traffic could be bad, so you might be a little bit late – Why not? It’s happened before. You could be in a serious car accident. It’s not impossible.The Power of Mindfulness: The book emphasizes the importance of mindfulness in managing worry and anxiety. Carbonell provides practical tips for cultivating mindfulness, such as focusing on the present moment, observing our thoughts without judgment, and engaging in physical activities that promote mindfulness. I feel blessed that I got to read this book, because it opened my eyes to a new perspective of what I've been going through : I just worry too much! As you may guess, none of this works to improve your relationship with worry. You’re using gasoline to try to put out a fire – just like worry wants you to. The catastrophe clause could be any hypothetical scenario, so it just becomes a game of Mad Libs. When you ignore the “what if” clause and focus on whatever unlikely drama is filling the catastrophe clause, you have a steady stream of what feel like legitimate concerns. The thing is, we all go through life as if we know what to expect. Chances are tomorrow will be as regular and forgettable as the vast majority of other days in your life. A worry-free mind knows this. So if a doubt arises, it’ll leave just as easily.

you might also have some unconscious beliefs about worry, beliefs which suggest that worry helps you somehow.” The Benefits of Seeking Support: The book highlights the benefits of seeking support from friends, family, and mental health professionals in managing worry and anxiety. Carbonell provides practical tips for finding and utilizing support systems. To say that this book has changed my life would be too much, but it certainly did show me new horizons when dealing with my own anxieties. And it gave me a push to be braver to read more about this topic, which a year ago would have been a huge trigger for me. The Importance of Sleep: The book emphasizes the importance of getting enough sleep in managing worry and anxiety. Carbonell provides practical tips for improving sleep quality, such as establishing a consistent sleep schedule, avoiding caffeine and electronic screens before bedtime, and creating a relaxing bedtime routine.Think about it. What do you do when you start to worry? When you have that first sneaking feeling of doubt? Because your brain interprets it as danger, your first reaction is to try to stop it. This ends up with you arguing with yourself, and when you argue with yourself you can never win. How about you’re driving along and you realize you accidentally ran a red light? A car accident definitely could happen at this stage, but you’re still not thinking “What if I have a car accident?” Your instincts are taking over, and you’re trying to stop that accident happening. Let’s have a look at those kinds of responses. Learn how your worries announce themselves when they enter your head

The chain reaction continues. What if I lose my job? I’ve got that dentist appointment coming up, I can’t afford to lose my job now.

It’s best if you can do this out loud while watching yourself in front of a mirror. You might feel silly, but seeing and hearing yourself takes it out of your head and lets you get a more realistic perspective. It’s also helpful learning to postpone your worry to a time when it’s less inconvenient. Judy Lake Chessa, LMSW, coordinator at the Anxiety and Phobia Treatment Center at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, NY We will also do better when we can recognize the worry thoughts as signs of nervousness and anxiety, the same as an eye twitch or sweaty palms, rather than some important message about the future”