Dealing With Our "Anxiety About Anxiety"

The key to dealing with anxiety and panic is not in dealing with the primary symptoms, but in attacking the nonsensical things we tell ourselves about our anxiety. Everybody suffers from anxiety, but not everyone catastrophizes about it. For example, let's say you are taking a midterm exam in college. You open the test booklet and realize immediately that you are not familiar with some of the material and appropriate answers. You can respond in one of two ways: "Oh man, none of this looks familiar to me; I'll never get this, I'll never pass this test; if I dont't pass this test, I'll fail for the semester; my parents will just die if I flunk out of school." Or you can respond rationally by thinking, "Now just hold on a second, some of this material looks a little unfamiliar, but I'll just calm down, take some deep breaths and start working on the questions I do know. I can always go back later and tackle the more difficult ones." The primary anxiety is not the focus here, but rather it's the secondary thoughts that we keep telling ourselves about anxiety that paralyzes us. Our "anxiety about our anxiety" or our secondary thoughts about anxiety are the focus of behavioral change. It is important in dealing with anxiety that people stay focused in the here and now, and do not get caught up in the "rear view mirror" or the anticipation of future worries.

James P. Krehbiel is an author, contributing writer, and a cognitive-behavioral therapist. He recently released a new book, Stepping Out of the Bubble: Reflections on the Pilgrimage of Counseling Therapy. His book can be purchased at http://booklocker.com/books/2242.html. James can be reached at http://www.krehbielcounseling.com.