Anxiety Coping

I haven't been actively using any of my coping mechanisms for something like a year now. It started because I no longer needed to, and then I refused because I thought I should just be better. I continued to not use them because I was angry that my anxiety had flared up again, and because I felt like I deserved to be anxious, or that my anxiety was normal. Truthfully, some of it is and has been normal, but I have not been handling it well. By not well, I mean not at all, and that needs to change. You can only improve if you seek to do so, and that I have not. I all but gave up on trying to combat my anxiety and I have pretty much just rolled over and played dead for these past few months. But no more. I've decided that step one to beginning to work on my anxiety again is to reacquaint myself with the coping techniques introduced to me when I was seeing my psychiatrist regularly. And so I've decided to post a comprehensive overview of the techniques that work for me here, in hopes that they may help others, and that I can easily look back on them when things get overwhelming.

Strategy 1: Identify your worry. Can you do anything about it? Is what I can do helpful? Is this an approach or avoidance strategy? What good will come from it?

Strategy 2: Thought Record [1] Situation [2] Moods/Feelings/Emotions (rate intensity) [3] Automatic Thoughts [4] Evidence For this thought [5] Evidence Against this thought [6] Alternate/Balanced Thoughts [7] Re-examine Mood (re-rate intensity of #2)

Strategy 3: Relaxation Exercises [1] Deep Breathing [2] Full Body Monitoring (relax each part of body/muscle group individually)

Strategy 4: Worry Questions/Predictions versus Reality  (1.     What, specifically, is your worry? 2.     What exactly are you predicting will happen? 3.     How likely is it that this will actually happen (percentage) _________% 4.     How negative of an outcome are you predicting (percentage) _________% 5.     What is the worst outcome? 6.     What is the most likely outcome? 7.     What is the best outcome? 8.     Are you predicting catastrophes that don’t come true? ___________ List examples. 9.     What is the evidence for and against your worry that something really bad will happen? Divide 100pts between these categories. For: _____  Against: _____  10.  Are you using your emotions/anxiety to guide you? ________ 11.  Do you think that something bad will happen because you are anxious? ________ 12.  Is this a reasonable/logical way to make predictions? ________ Why/Why not? 13.  How many times have you been wrong about your worry in the past? __________ What actually happened? 14.  What are the costs and benefits to you of worrying about this? Divide 100pts between these categories. Costs: _______  Benefits: _______ 15.  What evidence from the past do you have that worrying has been helpful to you? Hurtful? 16.  Are you able to give up any control in order to be less worried? 17.  Is there any way that worrying really gives you any control, or do you feel more out of control because of worrying so much? 18.  If what you predict happens, what would that mean to you? What would happen next? 19.  How could you handle the kinds of problems that you are worrying about? What can you do, if anything? 20.  Has anything bad happened to you that you have not worried about? How did you handle that? 21.  Are you usually underestimating your ability to handle problems? 22.  Consider the things you are worried about. How will you feel about it 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 years from now? Will how you feel change? 23.  If someone else were facing the events you are, would they worry this much? What advice would you give that person?)

Strategy 5: Healthy, happy mood-boosting activities (tea, exercise, cuddles/hugs, talking to friends, video games, organization, routine, clean apartment)

Strategy 6: Redefine 'key' words/concepts (What does productivity mean to me? What does it mean to others? Do I define this the same way towards myself as others? Why/Why not?)