Anxiety Therapy: Types, Techniques and Worksheets (2023)

Suffering from anxiety generally involves worry, anxiety, and musings about the future.

This anxiety of anticipation makes enjoying every moment a difficult task. Unfortunately, anxiety disorders are a serious and widespread problem for children and adults throughout the world.

The lifetime prevalence rate of anxiety disorders is estimated at 33.7% of the population, an estimate that has remained fairly stable over the years (Bandelow & Michaelis, 2015).

Overall, anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric disorders in the general population (Öst, 2008) and the number one mental disorder in women (Chambala, 2008).

While fear may serve a useful purpose (eg, to warn us of danger), too much fear impairs functioning and performance in certain activities (Yerkes & Dodson, 1908).

When you are depressed, you live in the past. If you are afraid, you are living in the future. When you are at peace, you live in the present.

Lao Tse

When anxiety reaches clinical levels, it interferes with the ability to live life to the fullest, often resulting in significant social and professional disability. Anxiety disorders cover many areas:

• Generalized anxiety disorder
• panic disorder
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• specific phobias
• social anxiety disorder
• obsessive compulsive disorder

Anxiety disorders can frighten victims and cause physiological, cognitive, and emotional symptoms (Hart, 1999). Those who experience panic attacks often end up in the emergency room thinking they are going to die. It is also common for anxiety disorders to coexist with other conditions, such as depression.

On the plus side, there are several effective therapeutic approaches for anxiety disorders, as well as a variety of techniques and worksheets that people can use on their own.

This article will describe these approaches while addressing the specific issues of childhood and social anxiety disorders. Educating about and treating anxiety disorders aims to provide helpful suggestions, tools, and most importantly, hope for those negatively affected by these conditions.

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Can therapy cure anxiety?

While anxiety covers a variety of areas and can be debilitating, it is highly treatable.

Despite the tremendous stressors in modern society, there are ways to respond without succumbing to serious anxiety issues. Anxiety has been described as "the absence of happy messengers to keep us calm" (Hart, 1999, p. 5).

Restoring this calm is possible through a number of psychological treatment approaches. This article focuses on non-pharmaceutical approaches that have been shown to be effective in reducing and even curing people with anxiety disorders and related symptoms.

6+ Popular Anxiety Therapy Options

Man is concerned not so much with real problems as with his imaginary fears about real problems.

the epic

Severe anxiety generally reflects concern about the anxiety itself rather than the underlying problem.

For example, a person with a public speaking phobia is often afraid of looking like a jerk in front of an audience due to their anxiety symptoms (eg, hyperventilation, vomiting, fainting, sweating, stuttering, etc.).

The real problem is not the fear of public speaking per se, but the expectation of fear associated with it, which causes stress. By confronting this fear, people often experience relief.

Although the type of intervention must be individualized based on the particular type of anxiety disorder, the following anxiety treatments may be effective for many people.

1. Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive therapy is the most common psychological treatment for anxiety disorders.

This approach involves working with therapists to identify the feelings, thoughts, and beliefs that affect a person's ability to change behaviors. For example, a person with a dog phobia would work to uncover the irrational beliefs surrounding that phobia, such as the inherent danger of approaching all dogs.

Cognitive therapy is usually combined with behavior therapy to address beliefs and cognitions along with working on ways to change behavior.

For example, the dog-phobic patient might try to get closer to well-behaved dogs while simultaneously working with a therapist on their irrational fears. This is an approach known as exposure therapy.

2. Cognitive behavioral therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is widely used for anxiety disorders because it encompasses all of the underlying principles related to clinical anxiety.

CBT is based on the following ideas:

• Mental health disorders involve important information processing and learning mechanisms (eg, irrational beliefs about perceived danger).
• Behaviors are best understood by discovering their true functions (eg, by examining beliefs that sweating and pounding lead to death).
• New adaptive learning experiences can be used to replace previous non-adaptive learning processes (for example, developing new beliefs about a feared object after further exposure).
• Clinicians take a scientific approach to therapy by formulating hypotheses about patients' cognitive and behavioral patterns, intervening and monitoring the results, and reformulating initial hypotheses as necessary (Hazlett-Stevens & Craske, 2004).

In this way, the CBT approach is adapted to the individual needs of the client and modified according to their progress (Hazlett-Stevens & Craske, 2004). CBT is based on the assumption that “emotional [i.e., [anxiety] disorders are perpetuated by cognitive factors and that psychological treatment through cognitive and behavioral techniques leads to changes in these factors” (Hofmann & Smits, 2008, p.621).

CBT contains a variety of potential components:

• exhibition
• social skills training
• cognitive restructuring
• problem solving training
• Self-monitoring or recording of symptoms
• task
• relaxation training

It can also be done for a short period of therapy or for a longer period of time, depending on the client and the issues at hand.

Meta-analysis has found CBT to be an effective approach for treating anxiety disorders (Butler, Chapman, Forman, & Beck, 2006; Deacon & Abramowitz, 2004; Hofmann & Smits, 2008; Stewart & Chambless, 2009).

Additionally, CBT conducted by primary care physicians with minimal psychiatric training (i.e., the Calm Program) has been reported to be an acceptable and encouraging way for primary care physicians to help anxious patients who would otherwise , would not receive treatment (Craske et al., 2009).

3. Altered attentional bias

Attentional bias modification is an emerging approach that involves the use of computerized attentional training in patients with anxiety to influence hyperattention to perceived environmental threats (Bar-Haim, 2010).

In this way, problematic attentional biases can be modified to reduce anxiety.

Attentional bias modification is similar to CBT in that it involves confrontation with feared objects or situations, but it is also unique in that it focuses on specific targets of attentional bias (Hakamata et al., 2010).

Although studies examining this approach are minimal, attentional bias modification represents a promising new approach for the treatment of anxiety disorders (Hakamata et al., 2010).

4. Hypnosis

Hypnosis has also been found to benefit people dealing with anxiety.

Hypnosis is “a state of consciousness involving focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness, characterized by an increased ability to respond to suggestion” (Elkins, Barabasz, Council, & Spiegel, 2014, p. 6).

Hypnosis is like meditation but with additional goals based on the needs of the individual. It can involve different states of consciousness where attention is focused and distractions are removed (McNeal, 2019).

It is important to emphasize that hypnosis is not an out of control experience since the patient has the power and is aware of what is happening. In addition, the objectives are achievable in a minimum time (Straub & Bowman, 2016).

Hypnosis (including self-hypnosis) is widely used in the field of mental health (Valentine, Milling, Clark, & Moriarty, 2019). It has also been described as a useful tool for patients dealing with:

• Fear of the Dentist (Potter, 2013)
• Operations Angst (Capafons & Mendoza, 2009)
• Fear of athletic competitions (Mendoza, 2010)
• Social phobia (Capafons & Mendoza, 2013)
• Anxiety disorders in general (Hammond, 2010)

5. Psychodynamic Therapy

Psychodynamic Therapyas a therapeutic approach, it often conjures old-fashioned images of couch-locking psychiatrists and patients reliving early childhood experiences. Psychodynamic therapy, rooted in Freudian theory, involves building strong therapist-patient alliances in which patients can develop the psychological tools necessary to manage fear and anxiety.

Although treatment can be lengthy, brief psychodynamic therapy has also been reported to be an effective approach for anxiety.

For example, one study reported that 30-session psychodynamic treatment was helpful in treating generalized anxiety, although this approach was less successful than CBT (Leichsenring et al., 2009).

Furthermore, in a study examining long-term follow-up after psychodynamic therapy, significant reductions in anxiety symptoms were reported, with short-term approaches producing more rapid improvements and long-term approaches producing more lasting improvements (Knekt et al., 2008).

Finally, in a study that compared psychodynamic therapy with CBT, both approaches showed significant positive effects on social anxiety (Bögels, Wijts, Oort, & Sallaerts, 2014).

In contrast, a comparison of CBT and short-term psychodynamic therapy in patients with excessive health-related anxiety showed significant improvements only for those who received CBT (Sørensen, Birket-Smith, Wattar, Buemann, & Salkovskis, 2010).

6. Vagus nerve stimulation

In this unique treatment approach, an antispasmodic device sends electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is under attack for its ability to modulate fear.

Although this approach is typically used in treatment-resistant epilepsy and depression, studies have also shown its efficacy in treatment-resistant anxiety disorders (George et al., 2008).

Additionally, studies using vagus nerve stimulation to treat epilepsy or depression have reported significant reductions in anxiety symptoms (Chavel, Westerveld, & Spencer, 2003; Rush et al., 2000).

Importantly, VNS is an invasive approach that is used as an add-on treatment for patients who have been unsuccessful with CBT and other therapies.

Exposure treatment for anxiety.

Exposure therapy is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy that is widely considered the best psychological approach for treating anxiety disorders.

In exposure therapy, the patient is exposed to their feared object or situation, such as flying.

Such exposure is usually gradual, beginning with less threatening stimuli and gradually progressing to increasingly feared stimuli (Wolpe, 1958).

Hegraduated exposure therapyIt is based on behavioral psychology, with the aim of desensitizing the patient to their dreaded trigger.

An example of graded exposure therapy is for a person with arachnophobia. In this case, the patient could work with a therapist as follows:

1. The patient first watches a movie with giant spiders.
2. The patient then sees a large but harmless spider in a glass case across the room.
3. The patient approaches and looks directly into the cabinet.
4. The patient works to actually manage the spider.

Of course, the type and duration of exposure therapy for arachnophobia will depend on the individual symptoms and needs of the patient.

Andsystematic desensitizationis used, gradual exposure also incorporates relaxation techniques to pair the feared stimulus with a fear-incompatible state. Thus, the patient can experience relaxation training while looking at images of spiders.

As with CBT, there are different exposure therapy options depending on the client and the diagnosis. For example, challenge therapy can be performed in vivo, as is the case with the live spider.simulated exposureit is a similar technique in which the patient experiences a proxy of the feared stimuli. For example, watching a movie about spiders is a simulated exposure.

Recent technology has provided therapists with the tools to implement more realistic simulations throughVirtual-Reality-Konfrontationstherapie.

In such cases, patients wear headphones in which they experience a very realistic virtual space. This technique is useful for various anxiety disorders and phobias; For example, military patients with PTSD may use virtual reality to simulate battlefield experiences.

Research studies have shown support forexposure to virtual realityTherapy in the treatment of anxiety disorders. For example, in a comprehensive meta-analysis, researchers found significant positive effects for virtual reality exposure therapy across all endpoints (Powers & Emmelkamp, ​​​​​​​​2008).

Another type of exposure therapy isFlood.In this technique, patients confront their fears through a simulated or in vivo exposure that is not gradual. Instead, patients are rapidly exposed to anxiety-provoking stimuli until they feel less anxious. For example, a patient with a phobia of bridges is taken to a bridge and asked to stand on it until her fear subsides.

Flooding is based on the idea that the patient's anxiety will decrease if no effort is made to avoid it (Abramowitz, Deacon, & Whiteside, 2019). Therapists generally prefer gradual exposure to flooding because flooding is intense and can have negative effects on patients who are not prepared for such direct and immediate exposure to feared stimuli.

Other forms of exposure therapy includelong exposure, which was developed for the treatment of PTSD. With prolonged exposure, both repeated and imaginary in vivo exposure combine to allow the patient to experience the trauma without the feared consequences.

This technique is commonly used to treat PTSD and is considered by many clinicians to be the best option for this disorder (Van Minnen, Harned, Zoellner, & Mills, 2012).

In a meta-analysis examining long-term exposure in patients with PTSD, individuals in the long-term exposure group achieved better outcomes than 86% of the control group (Powers, Halpern, Ferenschak, Gillihan, & Foa, 2010).

Acceptance-Based Therapyis another CBT approach that is sometimes used in conjunction with in vivo or sham exposure therapy. The goal of this relatively new approach is to help patients increase their willingness to experience anxiety when exposed to feared situations (England et al., 2012).

For example, in a study examining the use ofexposure based on acceptanceTherapy for people with public speaking phobia, participants received group therapy in which they experienced exposure to public speaking combined withacceptance-based treatmentaims to promote acceptance of distressing emotions and sensations associated with public speaking (England et al., 2012).

Participants who received acceptance-based exposure therapy with the goal of promoting "psychological flexibility" experienced significant improvements in confidence, ability, and related emotions in public (England et al., 2012).

More than 14 techniques to treat anxiety

If you want to overcome the fear of life, live in the moment, live on your breath.

what ray

Along with CBT and other therapist-implemented approaches to anxiety, several additional techniques can help alleviate symptoms. Here is a list of ideas:

Mindfulness approaches involve a type of mindfulness in which a person pays attention to their feelings and thoughts in the moment and without judgment. It is an open and fully accepting way of responding to thoughts (Kabat-Zinn, 2005).

Mindfulness techniques can be beneficial for patients with anxiety by helping to increase relaxation and eliminate negative or stressful judgments. Mindfulness can be improved through various approaches, such as meditation, yoga, or breathing exercises.

While mindfulness activities are often adjuncts to CBT and other forms of therapy, there is recent evidence supporting their unique anxiety-reducing benefits (Blanck et al., 2018).

Engaging in aerobic exercise is also a useful way to reduce physiological stress responses and improve mood (Sharma, Madaan, & Petty, 2006). While it can be difficult for an anxious person to find the motivation to exercise, the potential benefits are well worth it.

Physical activity is associated with reduced anxiety symptoms, as well as better cognitive function, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being (Carek, Laibstain, & Carek, 2011).

Exercise is beneficial for anxiety disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and social anxiety disorder (Baldwin et al., 2014).

Exercise has also been associated with reduced anxiety symptoms in sedentary patients with disorders (Baldwin et al., 2014).

The exercise is particularly attractive because it is inexpensive and can be done in a number of ways. Although exercise may not provide the same benefits for people with anxiety as CBT or other psychological approaches, it may enhance the effects of such treatment.

In addition to mindfulness techniques and aerobic exercise, here are a number of things people can do to reduce anxiety:

• Take up a hobby that you enjoy (eg baking, gardening, reading, painting, etc.).
• Listen to your favorite music.
• Consider your feelings.
• Take a warm bath.
• Eat a healthy diet as junk food can have negative effects on your physical and mental health.
• get enough sleep
• Get out into nature.
• Avoid emotional triggers (for example, people and places that constantly increase your fear).
• Spend time with the animals.
• Organize your home or workplace, as clutter can make anxiety worse.
• Be careful with the consumption of caffeine and alcohol.
• Spend time with family and friends you love.

Techniques to treat social anxiety

Social anxiety is a common problem, with more than 7% of Americans diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (Norton, 2012).

Social anxiety can take different forms, e.g. B. Fear of public speaking, social situations, or meeting new people.

Social anxiety arises from an individual's fear of negative judgment or scrutiny from others and the resulting humiliation. As such, social phobia can lead to significant problems in the professional, educational, and social areas, often leading to low self-esteem and loneliness.

The best treatment for social anxiety is CBT, and exposure therapy is often recommended.

For example, a person with speech anxiety might struggle to speak in front of a few people and gradually work their way up to larger groups.

Socially anxious people can also benefit from social skills and relaxation training.

For example, Acarturk, Cuijpers, van Straten, & de Graaf (2008) examined various treatments for social anxiety in an in-depth meta-analysis that included 30 studies and 1628 respondents.

therapy interventionMethods included CBT, cognitive restructuring, exposure therapy, social skills training, and applied relaxation training.

The authors found that psychological treatments for social anxiety disorder are highly effective, with no difference between treatment types (probably because many studies used combination treatments). Less efficacy was found in patients with severe social anxiety disorder (Acarturk et al., 2008).

In another randomized study with one year of follow-up, Anderson et al. (2013) compared in vivo exposure with virtual reality exposure for the treatment of social anxiety.

Anderson et al. (2013) reported significant improvements at 12-month follow-up, using virtualreality therapyit works just as well as in vivo exposure. Research has also shown that attentional bias training for social anxiety is associated with significant reductions in social anxiety symptoms (Schmidt, Richey, Buckner, & Timpano, 2009).

In summary, although social anxiety disorder is often debilitating, there are psychological treatments that have been shown to significantly reduce associated symptoms andQuality of lifefor many individuals.

9 useful worksheets for your sessions

There are numerous worksheets that can be helpful in reducing anxiety. Here are some examples:

1. The workbook of fear: A 7 Week Plan to Overcome Anxiety, Stop Worrying and End Panic (Cuncic, 2017)
2. Jane's Worried Elephant: A self-help guide for children with anxiety (Miller, 2019)
3. The worry workbook for kids.: Helping children overcome anxiety and fear of insecurity (Khanna & Ledley, 2018)
4. Exercise book to overcome anxiety for teenagers: Find peace from worry, panic, anxiety and phobias (Chansard, 2019)
5. The 5-Minute Journal to Relieve Anxiety: A creative way to stop freaking out (Peterson, 2019)
6. The Anxiety and Worry Workbook: The Cognitive Behavioral Solution (Clark & ​​​​​​​​Beck, 2011)
7. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Workbook: A Complete CBT Guide to Managing Uncertainty, Worry, and Anxiety (Robichaud & Dugas, 2015)
8. The fear and phobia workbook(Bourne, 2015)
9. let that shit go: A journal to leave your shit behind and live a happy life (Sweeney, 2018)

useful exercises

When you're dealing with anxiety, self-directed mindfulness exercises can help you calm down.

Because such activities can be done on an as-needed basis and for free, they represent very viable ways to deal with anxiety issues.

Many therapists prescribe self-directed meditation and mindfulness practices for clients to do between in-person therapy sessions or to help with times of intense anxiety.

With the advent of digital technologies such as smartphones and blended care e-therapy platforms such asQuenza(pictured here), the prescription of such take-home measures is becoming more common and convenient.

While the potential value of self-directed exercise is undisputed, independent exercise performed outside of the treatment intervention has rarely been studied.

However, a meta-analysis of 18 studies found that independent exercise was beneficial in reducing anxiety (Blanck et al., 2018).

Independent mindfulness exercises included breathing meditation, sitting meditation, body scan (gradual attention to different parts of the body), and sound scan (mindfulness that adjusts responses to sounds to reduce their aversive effect).

The study by Blanck et al. (2018) shows that there are positive ways for people to self-manage their anxiety outside of a structured intervention.

If you are feeling anxious or stressed, you can find and apply different exercises based on your individual interests and needs. Here are some examples:

• tiefatmende meditation
• sitting meditation
• Body-Scan-Meditation
• loving kindness meditation
• Spiritual Meditation
• vipassana meditation
• transcendental meditation
• Mantra-Meditation
• walking meditation
• buddhist meditation
• Yoga

A look at anxiety group therapy + ideas

Psychological treatment options for anxiety include both individual and group therapies.

Norton (2012) effectively describeevidence-based approachesdeveloped to assist CBT therapists in the implementation of group interventions for patients with anxiety disorders.

Such group treatment approaches (eg, exposure, cognitive restructuring, mindfulness, etc.) are useful for all anxiety disorders; It is not necessary to use separate strategies for specific anxiety disorders (Norton, 2012).

For CBT group therapy to be effective, the group must be closed and task-oriented. Other key factors in group therapy are altruism, imitation behavior, interpersonal learning, and the installation of hope (Yalom, 1995).

While there is more research examining individual CBT therapy for anxiety than for anxietygroup therapy(Whitefield, 2010) the latter approach has some advantages:

• cost effectiveness
• The ability to reach more people.
• It can make it easier to normalize behaviors (for example, by seeing others who have the same problems)
• Acceptance of challenges posed by peers towards the therapist
• Positive reinforcement from multiple people.
• Exposure situations that can be more easily recreated within a group setting
• The ability to practice problem solving skills by making suggestions to other members of the group (Whitefield, 2010)

While many people with anxiety disorders can benefit from group CBT, there are some people for whom group therapy is likely to be less effective, such as interpersonal problems, active suicidal thoughts, fear of group settings, extreme stress, or poor relationships. (Moorey, 1996).

Furthermore, people who lack motivation to change or do not adhere to treatment are less suitable for group CBT (Moorey, 1996).

Group CBT is useful for treating social anxiety disorder (Butler et al., 2018; Hedman et al., 2011).

Additionally, preliminary research suggests that large group CBT classes are highly feasible and useful approaches for people with anxiety disorders (Palay et al., 2018).

Looking at the key ingredients of group CBT as a treatment for social anxiety, the researchers examined the mechanisms of change of two group approaches: CBT and mindfulness and acceptance therapy.

Results indicated that mindfulness and acceptance were key change mechanisms for both group approaches, while cognitive reappraisal was more important for CBT (Kocovski, Fleming, Hawley, Ho, & Antony, 2015).

Finally, a qualitative study examined the perceptions of people with anxiety disorders about the benefit of group CBT (Abrahamsson, Nordling & Michelsen et al., 2018).

Respondents described their fear as a lack of security and noted that creating a safe group environment included the following issues:

• Exchange with others (for example, meet others with similar problems)
• Knowledge provided to participants (eg, related to the connection between fear and thoughts, behaviors, health, and lifestyle)
• Structure (eg, how trainers responded to the needs of the participants and provided group members with acceptable structures for independent practice; Abrahamsson et al., 2018)

If you're dealing with anxiety and have found that group therapy would be a good option for you, chances are there is a group that meets your needs. Once you've done some research and found groups that interest you, it's also a good idea to try several until you find the best one.

A Note on Art Therapy for Anxiety

“[T]he central process of healing through art involves the cultivation and release of the creative mind. If we can unleash the creative process in our lives, it will always find its way to anything that requires attention and transformation. So the challenge is to first unleash our creativity and then sustain it as a disciplined practice” (McNiff, 2005, p. 5).

There is a certain magic in the act of creation; young children who express themselves through art don't seem to care.

In fact, the therapeutic benefits of creating art transcend age and talent. There are two key reasons why art therapy is a viable approach for people with anxiety:

1. It allows a kind of self-expression that goes beyond words.
2. Visual representations of fear aid in the use of certain forms of therapy (Chambala, 2008).

art therapyit has also been described as a cathartic release of positive feelings (Curl, 2008). Research supports this idea, as art therapy has been shown to be effective in reducing anxiety and other psychological symptoms in multiple populations.

Here are some notable examples:

• Engaging in arts such as mandala coloring, collage making, and clay modeling is associated with less anxiety among college students (Sandmire, Gorham, Rankin, & Grimm, 2012).
• The creation of artwork such as posters, greeting cards, and silk wall hangings with "images of health" has been associated with reduced anxiety among caregivers of cancer patients (Walsh, Martin, & Schmidt, 2004).
• Participation in group art therapy is associated with symptom reduction in adult psychiatric outpatients diagnosed primarily with depression, anxiety, and adjustment disorders (Chandraiah, Anand, & Avent, 2012).
• Participation in art therapy is associated with reduced general state of anxiety in adult cancer patients (Nainis et al., 2006).
• Art making is associated with lower stress levels among Canadian university students (Abbott, Shanahan, & Neufeld, 2013).
• Ceramics have been associated with reduced anxiety among elderly nursing home residents (Doric-Henry, 1997).
• Participation in art therapy-based supervision among nurses at the end of life is associated with reductions in anxiety and improvements in emotional awareness and regulation (Potash, Ho, Chan, Wang, & Cheng, 2014).
• Art therapy incorporated into brief CBT in people with anxiety disorders has been associated with a reduced incidence of panic attacks (Morris, 2014).
• Mere exposure to the visual arts has been shown to reduce anxiety symptoms in hospitalized psychiatric patients (Nanda, Eisen, Zadeh, & Owen, 2010), a finding confirming the powerful healing power of art.

17 ideas for creative art and music therapy

The function of music is to release those feelings in the soul that we normally keep closed in the heart.

Sebastian Falk

Music has a way of changing your mood, whether it's plunging you into the angst of the blues or experiencing the upbeat feelings of disco. Due to its ability to affect mood, music therapy has been used to help patients deal with a variety of mental health issues.

Terapia musicalit essentially consists of “the supervised use of music to promote clinical change” (Bulfone, Quattrin, Zanotti, Regattin & Brusaferro, 2009, p. 238). Music therapy can be used in various ways, e.g. B. in combination with CBT or otherstypes of therapy.

Performing music can also promote positive feelings that promote healing. The effectiveness of music therapy in reducing anxiety is also supported by the scientific literature.

For example, music has been found to reduce anxiety in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy (Bulfone et al., 2009; Karagozoglu, Tekyasar, & Yilmaz, 2012), physiological signs of anxiety in patients receiving mechanical ventilatory support (Korhan , Khorshid and Uyar , 2011) and anxiety in patients with Alzheimer's disease (Guétin et al., 2009).

Additionally, music therapy is associated with reduced anxiety in people with psychiatric disorders (de l'Etoile, 2002; Bibb, Castle, & Newton, 2015; Shiranibidabadi & Mehryar, 2015).

There are many ways that we can improve our mood through the use of music; Here are some ideas:

• Choose music that suits your mood or activity, e.g. B. Upbeat music to exercise and classical music to relax.
• Try meditative music before bed.
• take dance classes.
• If you feel anxious or angry while driving, choose music that calms your nerves.
• Don't expose yourself to other people's music if it causes you stress.
• Use music while creating art to add inspiration.

There are also several ways you can get involved.creative artas a means to promote positive well-being.

Here are some ideas:

• ceramics
• Origami
• make collage
• painting or drawing
• Build with Legos or Lincoln Logs
• rosario
• make paper airplanes
• scrapbooks
• Afflicted
• stained glass production
• sew or quilt

child anxiety treatment

Anxiety affects children and adolescents with a high prevalence (Rapee, Schniering, & Hudson, 2009).

As in adults, childhood anxiety disorders cause significant impairment and often go unrecognized (Walkup et al., 2008).

Rapee et al. (2009) find that childhood fears have a negative impact on relationships with peers, school functioning, and family processes. Anxiety disorders in children are also commonly associated with other psychological diagnoses and have been associated with inhibited temperament (Rapee et al., 2009).

The most common childhood anxiety disorders include separation anxiety, phobias, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and PTSD.

As in adults, childhood anxiety disorders are often successfully treated with CBT or competency-based treatment, which is sometimes combined with pharmacological treatment.

In a randomized controlled trial of 488 children with anxiety disorders, CBT, both alone and in combination with antidepressant therapy, was associated with a significant reduction in anxiety severity compared with a no-treatment comparison group (Walkup et al. ., 2008).

Similarly, in children with anxiety disorders, responsiveness to CBT in childhood has been associated with reduced anxiety in adulthood (Benjamin, Harrison, Settipani, Brodman, & Kendall, 2013).

In a study that examined the long-term effects of CBT combined with parental anxiety management, children who received the combined treatment were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder three years later (Cobham, Dadds , Spence and McDermott, 2010).

Interestingly, combination therapy was significantly more effective than CBT treatment alone, which makes sense since mental health symptoms in parents are associated with treatment outcomes in children with anxiety (Berman, Weems, Silverman, & Kurtines, 2000).

In addition to parental influences, the quality of peer friendships has also been found to predict better responses to CBT treatment in children with anxiety disorders (Baker & Hudson, 2013).

While there is some evidence that children with certain anxiety disorders (eg, OCD) may benefit from drug treatment (particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), there are few high-quality studies evaluating the effects of psychiatric medications to treat anxiety that examine children (Reinblatt & Rompecabezas, 2007).

However, there is evidence that CBT is an effective treatment for children with anxiety disorders, with long-term benefits often observed (Muris, Meesters & van Melick, 2002). In addition, CBT is especially effective in treating childhood anxiety disorders when combined with family education (Muris et al., 2002).

A Note on Electronic Therapy for Anxiety

With the large number of people with anxiety disorders going undiagnosed and untreated, psychologists have searched for more effective ways to treat them.

This point is especially important in anxiety disorders, since the inability to seek treatment outside the home is often intrinsic to the disorder itself.

Fortunately, technology has created a way to reach people with anxiety disorders. By providing therapist-directed CBT via computer (E-therapyor iCBT) can help a large number of children and adults.

For example, in a study that examined a 10-week dose of iCBT in participants with generalized anxiety, iCBT was associated with significant positive treatment effects comparable to those found with in-person treatment (Robinson et al., 2010). Similarly, CBT-E therapy has been reported to be effective in treating OCD, PTSD, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety (Klein, Meyer, Austin, & Kyrios, 2011).

Finally, in a comprehensive review of 26 randomized controlled trials of Internet therapy, 23 trials reported positive results for the treatment of symptoms of depression or anxiety (Griffiths, Farrer, & Christensen, 2010). Preliminary results on the efficacy ofinternet based treatmentit holds promise for adults and children who suffer from the often debilitating effects of anxiety disorders.

A message to take home

Anxiety symptoms and clinical anxiety disorders are common and often debilitating.

Fortunately, these conditions are quite treatable. Effective treatment options include CBT, attentional distortion modification, hypnosis, psychodynamic therapy, and vagus nerve stimulation.

The most scientifically supported psychological treatment approach for anxiety disorders is CBT. As a result, CBT is often the treatment of choice among therapists who specialize in anxiety problems.

CBT can take many forms, and exposure therapy is often cited as highly successful in reducing anxiety. Exposure therapy can be supplemented by other therapeutic approaches, such as relaxation training and acceptance-based therapy. There is also support for the effectiveness of group CBT in treating anxiety, particularly when the groups are cohesive and task oriented.

Anxiety disorders are common in children, and the most common diagnoses include separation anxiety, phobias, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and PTSD. Research similarly shows that CBT has long-term benefits for children, especially when combined withfamily therapy. Along with CBT, art and music therapy also represent research-based approaches that have been found to calm an anxious mind.

In addition, there are several things that people can do on their own to reduce anxiety, such as: B. deep breathing, aerobic exercise, meditation, yoga, pursuing a hobby, listening to music, etc.

Finally, technology has advanced dramatically in the treatment of anxiety, with e-therapy (particularly iCBT) reaching a larger audience than would be possible with face-to-face therapy. Overall, given the overwhelming amount of evidence supporting anxiety-focused treatment, people with anxiety disorders or symptoms have every reason to look forward to a tomorrow without suffering.

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