We are looking for the best treatments to combat anxiety. And it’s not that we want to end it, because the truth is that we need anxiety to survive; what we want to do is learn to manage anxiety so that it does not become a psychological disorder that stands between us and our happiness.
And among the numerous treatments and therapies that we find to combat anxiety, the star is cognitive-behavioral therapy. It is a psychological therapy that is more effective in the long term than pharmacological treatment, without side effects and that protects us against relapses. We tell you how cognitive-behavioral therapy can help you overcome anxiety.
What is cognitive behavioral therapy?
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a valid psychological therapy for any type of anxiety as well as for most psychological disorders, including depression. It basically focuses on two directions: rationalize automatic thinking and modify destructive behavior.
- When we talk about automatic or irrational thoughts, we are referring to those thoughts that are generated in our minds without realizing it and that trigger our alarm mechanisms, that is, anxiety, at times when they are not really necessary. We are not faced with phobias and irrational fears, but also with everyday situations that our mind automatically recognizes as threatening without actually being so.
- Once cognitive-behavioral therapy has helped us identify those distorted automatic thoughts that trigger our anxiety, it’s time to correct our behavior. For example, if we eliminate from our thinking the idea that riding the subway is something threatening, we can start using the subway without the risk of an anxiety attack.
Advantages of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Logically, cognitive-behavioral therapy takes time. Time to identify erroneous automatic thoughts, time to change them for more positive thoughts and more adjusted to reality and time to re-educate our reactions or behavior.
- The main advantage of this cognitive-behavioral therapy compared to other treatments, such as pharmacological, is that its results are stronger, more stable, since its objective is not only to eliminate or alleviate the symptoms of anxiety, but to learn to manage anxiety so that it does not become a pathology. For this reason, in addition to overcoming an anxiety disorder, cognitive-behavioral therapy helps us not to suffer relapses.
- The lack of side effects and the psychological strength it provides are other advantages of this treatment, although it should be noted that it should always be done by a professional and stay away from certain sellers of happiness who trade in the emotional imbalances of others. We would also like to point out the priority that our healthcare system gives to pharmacological treatment to combat anxiety, to the detriment of psychological therapies, which are more difficult to access for free.