Self-help program

THOUGHT EXERCISES

In this section, you’ll get to do exercises that help you learn to change your thoughts, emotions and behaviour. You should find a quiet place and time for these exercises to work on changing your thinking patterns.

Listen

In the following video (2:54), people who have experienced anxiety share how they have managed to change their anxiety-inducing thought patterns to become more positive.

Useful methods for many have included challenging their own worries, writing down their worries and exposing themselves to situations that arouse feelings of anxiety.

It’s a good idea to start by asking yourself why you have chosen your current way of operating and thinking. Think about the following questions:

Does my thinking promote goals that I want to commit to and which I perceive as meaningful?
Are my thoughts and behaviours based on routines? Or do I consider them necessary obligations? If you think this way, why?
Have I chosen them because of my inherent interest or because of my abilities?
Do they enhance my well-being in the long term? Am I surrounded by people who reinforce my coping abilities?

Change can be easier for some people than others. Giving up something can cause feelings of insecurity in many people.