Practical Skills for Living With Anxiety

Anxiety is part of being of human. It's an evolutionary & biological imperative. Attempts to avoid or "get rid of" anxiety often makes things worse. In each session of this course you will learn practical skills & techniques to live with your anxiety instead of fighting against biology.

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Hello!

Hi! I'm Laurie Dwyer, MC, LPC. I have over 20 years of experience helping people live with anxiety and other mental health issues.
Anxiety is the #1 mental health issue in America. It's tempting to try to "get rid of" or "avoid" anxious situations, but these strategies often make things worse. The skills you will learn in this course can free you from the power of anxiety run amok and put you in charge of recognizing and responding to anxiety in healty and adaptive ways.

Session 1: Welcome

Course Workbook - Anxiety

Welcome to Your Course

Session 2: Brain-Body Interactions of Anxiety

Session 2: Brain-Body Feedback Loop

Session 3: Breaking the Feedback Loop

Anxiety can come in the form of a feedback loop:

You sense a threat (even if none is present)
Your central nervous system revs up - preparing you for fight or flight
This causes physiological changes
Your brain interprets the physiological changes as an imminent threat and revs up even more.

These exercises help you break that loop and regain control over your central nervous system

Breathing Skill: Extend Exhalation

Breathing Skill: Diaphragmatic Breathing

Breathing Skill: Sounding

Preview

Grounding Techniques to Break the Feedback Loop

Session 4: Types of Anxiety Disorders

Information about some common anxiety disorder

Anxiety Disorders

Session 5: My Anxiety Story

My Story - Part I: Typical Anxious Event

Typical Anxious Event Guided Imagery

My story - Part 2: The Perfect Scenario

My Story: Part 3 - In My Own Words

Anxiety - My Story Wrap-Up

Session 6: Make Friends With Your Inner Worrier

Get to know Your Inner Worrier

Self-Talk That Feeds the Inner Worrier

Helpful, Replacement Self-Talk

Session 6: Create Better Thinking - Anxiety

Unnecessary anxiety can result when faulty thinking patterns lead us to:
1. overestimate actual threats in our environment; or
2. underestimate our ability to deal with these threats

These sessions help address the faulty thinking patterns that result in unnecessary anxiety.

Introduction: CBT for Anxiety

CBT Basics

CBT - Patterns of Faulty Beliefs

CBT Basics - applied to anxiety & your Inner Worrier

Session 7: Patterns that lead to Overestimation of danger

Historically, chances for survival depended on a negativity bias in thinking. That negativity bias has been rooted into our DNA. These two skills can help you address this bias in your thinking.

Taking control of your "what-ifs"

Tolerating Uncertainty

Session 8: Cultivate Internal Locus of Control

Introduction - Cultivating Internal Locus of Control

Introduction to Victim & Creator Mindset

CBT Basics - Applied to Victim/Creator

Characteristics of Victims & Creators

Locus of Control & Responsibility

Practice Creating the Creator Mindset

Worksheet Review

Session 9: Test Danger Beliefs Directly

Rational questioning of danger beliefs

Recognize when you ARE ok

Session 10: Below the line: Stop Underestimating Yourself

The following sessions can improve confidence in your ability to respond effectively to life's anxiety-provoking situations.

The anxiety equation - below the line

Session 11: Assertiveness Skills to Address Anxiety

Assertiveness Skills to Decrease Anxiety

Assertive Responses to Criticism/Hostility

Practice - Assertive Defense of Yourself

Session 12: Mindfulness Skills

Mindfulness skills help you accept anxiety as a part of who you are, just like all other aspects of you!

Mindfulness Overview.mp4

Counting Breaths mindfulness meditation

Basic Meditation With Breath Awareness

Body Scan - Introduction

Body Scan Mindfulness Practice

Awareness Inside and Out - Full Field of Awareness

Step Into Fear

Focus on Change

Session 13: You can tolerate anxiety

Instead of trying to change, fix or get rid of anxiety, what if you learned to tolerate anxiety, as just another part of life?

Tolerate Distress with Radical Acceptance

Tolerate Distress by Riding the Wave of Anxiety

Accepting yourself as an anxious person (What is my anxiety telling me?)

What is my anxiety telling me, part 2

Introduction to Safe Place Guided Imagery

Safe Place Audio

Session 14: Wrapping Up

Practice makes perfect-ish

Congratulations.mp4

Accessible, Approachable & Affordable

Savvy Sessions - online courses developed by mental health professionals to make mental health:
Accessible: Available 24/7. Learn when & where it's convenient for you.
Approachable: Our sessions are Education, not counseling. No appointments. No Stigma
Affordable: You can always turn to us for FREE valuable content & for those who want more, our in-depth courses cost less than one trip to a therapist's office.

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