Controlling your Thinking 5 - Anxiety

Anxiety
Worry time app
Breathe 2 relax
Google-centre for clinical interventions - workbooks

Fatigue, out of control, phobia
,-response to perception of threat
Fear- very extreme danger short term.
Anxiety-general world feels unsafe, partly aroused, long term threat- motor tension.
Leads to lots of physical effects.
Effects cognitive functions, memory
Effects behaviours
Effects performance - can improve performance, but to much lead to hyperstress
Anxiety disorder - in very serious case.  This impairs our functions
Generalised anxiety disorder - general tendency to worry. Muscle tension, fatigue, concentration, irritability.

State anxiety,- due to circumstances
Trait anxiety -due to our own personality. Can be physical, even if we know about it.

Common threats
-Negative appraisal
- conflict,  failure, loss
Anxiety begets anxiety
-Mindfulness may help

Behaviours
-Use behaviour to dispute anxiety. When logical doesn't work, use behaviour.
-Trying to say right thing or self focused lead to anxiety. Over thinking.
- Don't think to much
- somatic - drugs, alcohol
Safety behaviour: over planning, bottled water, worrying, perfectionism,
End up spending to much time worrying will not be productive .

--- good mental hygiene
Daily physical exercise helps
Good nutrition
Good sleep
Not smoking or excess drinking
Practise cognitive flexibility - let go of the "I should " thinking. Identify the faulty reasoning
Anxiety creates cognitive bias - just need to recognise the anxiety.
Notice the over thinking.
Exposure - learn to face the worries by confronting it.
Make one phone call a day if we are socially anxious
Deep relaxation - When relax our bodies, it will break anxiety cycle.
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- medication like valium relaxes muscle
- anti depressants also relieve anxiety. 

Controlling Your Thinking 4 - Behaviour Disputing and Mindfulness

Meta cognitive beliefs - think that worry or anger will protect us. Not really true.

Labelling others is not good for us.

Rude behaviour could be due to their pain.

Logical disputing,- challenging own thoughts

Persuasive disputing - thinking lIke that does not help

Change behaviour- which change cognition

Cognition affects behaviour.

- that task is loathsome

- they won't like me

- ...... all this affect our behaviour

... whIch also affect our thinking

Behaviour Disputing

- experiential learning that our beliefs is actually wrong

- I shouldn't take social risk , awful to be rejected.

- taking small risks to dispute, is helpful.

- I should always appear independent, and in control.

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MINDFULNESS

emotional distress due to current situation

But mostLy anger is about things in past, worry is about future.

- mindfulness is being in the present, pretend to be an external observer.

- pick up truth from noise.

- non judging during mindfulness exercise.

- observe with curiosity.

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Internal Discrepancy monitor

- mismatch between current and desired states, causing distress.

- rumination- think one's way out of problem, but does not work.

- try to notice when we are runinating, and get out of it.

Defusing

- notice they are just thoughts, not really reality.

BenefiTts of mindfulness

-Metacognitive awareness, notiCE our own thoughts.

- reduction of recurring thought process.

- greater ability to tolerate pain.

Apps - head space.

Controlling Your Thinking 3 - Anger

Anger

-Perceived violation or injustice

- with perception of threat

Affects: Cognition, behaviour

Pre frontal cortex

- Making rational decisions

Amygdala

-Sends signals to adrenalin near kidney

Rumination

- Going in circles in unproductive ways

Anger prove personality

- Some biological - hot temperament

- low tolerance for frustration, high threat perceptions

- stop - breathe - leave

- -- progressive muscle relaxation,  mindfulness practice

Managing short term anger

- Exercise, talk to someone, write about it

Does this behaviour HELP ACHIEVE OUR GOALS

Stay solution focused

Stay away during hot phase

***Often feel angry on people who we think have power over us.