Fears, anxieties, and phobias are not uncommon. Sometimes I visit a phobia list and marvel at the thousands & thousands of codified human fears out there. I can relate to some of them, but for many, I can’t because I just don’t have enough of a frame of reference. But […]
cognitive behavioral therapy
If you’re already prone to anxiety, you may fear sitting in the passenger seat while someone else drives. This is driving anxiety as a passenger, and it’s extremely common. It can show up whether you’re in a car, an airplane, a bus — any moving vehicle where you’re not the […]
I know car accidents are about the last thing that we as anxious drivers want to think about. The reality though is that accidents, although relatively rare, DO happen. Like traffic jams and highways, they are one of the realities of modern transportation, and driving anxiety cannot be overcome by […]
Last week I wrote about “common negative thought distortions” and how they can contribute to anxiety and depression. Cognitive distortions are just what they sound like — ways of thinking that distort reality. They’re subtle, usually subconscious untruths we tell ourselves about the world, ourselves, and other people. They’re messages […]
We’ve all heard of negative thoughts, but have you ever heard of a thought distortion? What are “thought distortions” anyway? Also called “cognitive distortions,” common negative thought distortions are how our minds convince us of things that aren’t actually true. Distorted thoughts are basically instances of inaccurate thinking we don’t realize are […]
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy originally developed to treat borderline personality disorder. The simple mindfulness exercises from DBT have since proven effective for treating people in the grips of suicidal depression and self-harming behaviors like cutting. DBT has also proven useful for treating anxiety because of […]