The ABCs of Coping with Anxiety: Using CBT to Manage Stress and Anxiety Paperback - 2017

From the jacket flap

In 'The ABCS of Coping with Anxiety: Using CBT to Manage Stress and Anxiety', James Cowart offers a concise collection of tried-and-tested strategies from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and makes them accessible to people who are learning to cope with their anxiety on a day-to-day basis. 'The ABCS of Coping with Anxiety' has been placed highly commended in the health and social care category in the 2018 British Medical Association Medical Book Awards.

Anxiety is a normal part of our human nature. For spurring you to make decisions or perform, it can actually be helpful. However, an unchecked pattern of intrusive negative thoughts can escalate the severity and persistence of the level of anxiety experienced over time. As this worsens, it is not uncommon to feel an increasing lack of control ultimately leading to a chain of self-defeating behaviors that may negatively affect all aspects of your daily life. Yet, while it is not possible to directly control our emotions (or what others think or do), it is possible to learn and apply coping skills that can help you face feared situations rather than escape or avoid them.

James Cowart s aim in 'The ABCS of Coping with Anxiety' is to share a toolbox of CBT techniques garnered over 40 years clinical practice that will enable you to manage your anxiety on a sustainable path toward taking back some of that control. These self-help strategies focus on developing key coping skills designed to reduce fear and anxiety, and are complemented by a user-friendly, step-by-step program of practical exercises that can be personalized to meet each individual s unique needs.

Informed by his extensive experience and therapeutic knowledge, and with real-life case studies to guide you along your own journey, this easy-to-remember ABC approach is as transformative as it is simple:

A is for accepting the thoughts and feelings you can and can' t control.

B is for breathing slowly and naturally to relieve and relax muscle tension.

etc.