Simple cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to improve your mental health -

It’s a wondrous thing that therapy is becoming much more standard practice for the general public, as the stigma around mental health continues to be torn down bit by bit every day. That said, most people are still not informed on what to look for once they are ready to begin.

Enter: cognitive behavioral therapy. It’s one of the most popular forms of therapy, and for good reason. CBT aims to change how you think and behave by equipping people with the skills to identify, challenge, and deal with their adverse behavior. It’s used to treat wide-ranging conditions, which you’ll see in this gallery, and it can even be self-directed if you’re not willing or able to see a therapist.

Click through and check out some effective techniques CBT can offer you.

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What is CBT good for? -

CBT can treat a wide range of conditions, including: depression, anxiety, stress, phobias, obsessions, eating disorders, as well as the management of long-term conditions.

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What is CBT good for? -

But you don’t need a medical diagnosis to benefit from CBT, as it can also help with things like anger management, grief, the burden of physical health problems, conflict resolution, improving communication skills, and assertiveness training.

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Is self-directed CBT effective? -

With increasing rates of anxiety and depression, as well as soaring health care costs, self-directed CBT has many advantages that can lower your anxiety, improve your mood, and provide you with coping skills. Many studies have found that self-directed CBT can be very effective for those with mild to moderate symptoms of both anxiety and depression, reports the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

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Long-term help -

Studies show that people who do CBT tend to maintain their progress over time, since one of its goals even when visiting a professional is to teach you how to "become your own therapist" so that you can use the skills you learn on your own after treatment.

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Four major steps -

The first step is to identify your thought patterns. This vital step can be difficult to do alone because you are accustomed to your thoughts, but it’s not impossible. This also includes identifying specific problems or issues in your daily life.

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Step two -

The second step is discovering how your thoughts affect your feelings and behaviors. Your thoughts are the primary architects of your reality, providing the blueprint for how you will feel and then act. You will become aware of unproductive thought patterns and how they impact your life.

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Step three -

The third step is determining whether your thoughts are accurate or not. The goal here is to identify the negative thinking that is harming your mental health and reframing them in a way that changes how you feel.

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Step four -

The fourth step is to replace biased thoughts with more realistic ones, which will also include learning new behaviors and putting them into practice.

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Common CBT techniques -

If you speak with a therapist, they will determine which CBT technique to use after learning more about the issue(s) you want help with. But the following are the most common techniques.

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Cognitive restructuring or reframing -

This technique involves taking a magnifying glass to your negative thought patterns so that you can isolate them, identify how they’re not benefiting you, and come up with better alternatives.

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Cognitive restructuring or reframing -

Your therapist will ask about your thought process in certain situations—maybe your tendency is to stress too much over minor details—so you can identify negative patterns, then reframe them so that you have a more realistic and optimistic outlook. You’ll be able to focus on the bigger picture and not sweat the small stuff, for example.

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Guided discovery -

This technique is all about perspective, as the therapist learns about your viewpoint then asks you questions designed to challenge your beliefs.

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Guided discovery -

If you always assume the worst will happen, for example, they will ask for evidence that supports that and evidence that doesn’t. It’s a strategy to see things from new sides and acknowledge better mental pathways.

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Exposure therapy -

This is particularly useful for fears and phobias, as the technique involves slow exposure to things that trigger fear or anxiety while providing guidance in the moment on how to cope with them.

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Exposure therapy -

This can be done on your own in small increments with things like going out with new friends if you have social anxiety, or participating in meetings if you have a fear of public speaking. Repeated exposure can help you cope and feel less vulnerable.

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Journaling and thought records -

One of the best ways to take a hard look at yourself is to write down your feelings and look at them later. Writing is also an easier way for many people to express their true thoughts, as it feels more private. Therapists may ask you to list negative thoughts that you have and write down positive alternatives you can choose next to them.

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Journaling and thought records -

Another great CBT writing strategy is to keep a record of the new thoughts and behaviors you are putting (or trying to put) into practice. It’s extremely helpful to have your own personalized guide for improved thought patterns when you need it most, plus the documentation will allow you to see how far you’ve come, which is a huge encouragement to continue the therapy even when you’re feeling low.

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Activity scheduling and behavior activation -

This technique is one you can certainly do without a therapist, and it’s all about setting yourself up for success. It simply takes one hard decision to schedule an activity that you tend to avoid due to fear or anxiety, and once it’s on your calendar it’s easier to follow through and it gives you a positive reinforcement of accomplishment.

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Activity scheduling and behavior activation -

Scheduling activities can help establish better habits by removing the burden of decision. It can also provide the necessary opportunities to practice the skills you’ve learned, which is essential for long-term changes.

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Behavioral experiments -

This technique is typically best for anxiety disorders, especially those that involve catastrophic thinking patterns. The idea is to predict what will happen before starting a task that usually makes you anxious, and then once the task is over you analyze how it was different from what you thought.

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Behavioral experiments -

When you do this enough times, it’s easier to realize that the predictions of catastrophe are not actually rational since they’re not likely to happen. It’s best to start with lower-anxiety tasks and work your way up from there.

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Relaxation and stress reduction -

Another part of CBT is learning to combat negative thinking patterns through relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, and mental imagery.

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Relaxation and stress reduction -

The strategies to lower stress will also simultaneously increase your sense of control, and the combination of these two factors will be helpful in handling phobias, social anxieties, and many other stressors.

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Role playing -

This CBT technique is best with a therapist but can be done with the enlisted help of someone you trust. The goal is to work through various behaviors and scenarios that cause you difficulty, so that you can practice better approaches and get familiar with triggers.

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Role playing -

When you play out possible scenarios, you can lessen fear and gain confidence, improve your problem-solving skills, practice your social skills, and improve your communication. It can also help you be more assertive when it comes to both your own behavior and your external scenarios.

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Successive approximation -

This complicated-sounding technique is at its root very simple: it involves taking daunting tasks and breaking them down into more manageable ones.

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Successive approximation -

By changing the way you think about tasks—from overwhelming and insurmountable, to easier and more achievable steps—you not only diminish your fears, but you also build a foundation for success whereupon you know you can rely on yourself and no task seems insurmountable.

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Picking a goal in CBT -

Goals should be SMART, which is an acronym for: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-limited. The reason for this is to create a positive association with your new behaviors and thought patterns, as well as to ensure a sense of progress, which will keep you moving forward on your journey to better mental health.

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No access to a therapist? Try a workbook -

There are many guided books that can lead your self-directed CBT over the course of weeks, for a much cheaper price, and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies even keeps a list of books for which they've given their "seal of merit."

Sources: (National Alliance on Mental Illness) (Healthline)

See also: When is it time to seek out a therapist

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