The “Anxious Behaviours Self-Help Guide” is a resource aimed at aiding individuals in understanding and managing anxiety. It begins by explaining what anxiety is and how it shows itself, including the body’s natural ‘fight or flight’ response. The guide then delves into the cycle of avoidance, highlighting how avoiding situations that cause anxiety can lead to a continuous cycle of anxiety and avoidance, which hinders learning and adapting to these situations.
It also addresses safety behaviours, which are tactics people use to feel secure in situations that cause them anxiety. These behaviours, while providing temporary relief, can maintain or even worsen anxiety over time. An important part of the guide is the emphasis on facing fears and how direct exposure to these fears can gradually reduce anxiety. This leads to a discussion on graded exposure, a method that involves slowly facing fear-inducing situations, starting with less challenging ones and progressing to more difficult scenarios.
Additionally, the guide contains practical exercises such as creating a hierarchy of anxiety-inducing situations and maintaining exposure diaries. It also encourages self-reflection. To support further learning and management of anxiety, the guide provides additional resources, including links to online workbooks, smartphone apps, and helpful websites. This blend of theoretical knowledge and practical strategies makes the guide a valuable tool for those seeking to understand and manage their anxiety.
Contents:
- What is anxiety?
- The vicious cycle of avoidance
- What are safety behaviours?
- Facing your fears
- Graded exposure
- Graded hierarchy example
- My graded hierarchy
- My exposure diary
- Notes
- Further resources
FREE PDF DOWNLOAD OF ANXIOUS BEHAVIOURS: A SELF-HELP GUIDE WORKBOOK
