Free Exercises to Reduce Anxiety

Anxiety can be caused by a wide variety of underlying factors. This is why the treatment of anxiety must begin by making sense out where it comes from. This page is designed to help you discover the emotional truth of your anxiety. With this understanding, deep and lasting change is possible.

You wil be asked to feel your anxiety while you do some of the exercises so that you will be able to learn about it first hand. However, if it gets too strong, it will be hard to concentrate on following the directions. So if you become overwhelmed at any point, just stop and rest. You may discover some uncomfortable truths about yourself in doing these exercises. Try to be nice to yourself, and schedule a session if you want some help or support.

You might find that one or two of these exercises may not be a perfect fit for you, but it is important that you try each of them. Some of these exercises ask you to complete a sentence. Please read the sentence-stem either aloud or silently and then let the sentence finish itself without trying to pre-think an ending. Feel free to change the sentence-stem in order to make it feel more true. Repeat the exercise over and over until you are not getting any new endings before going on to the next one.

1. Begin by imagining a situation that would provoke your anxiety and allow yourself to feel it. Name what it feels like in your body. Now in this scene, say the sentence, "Right now I am afraid that..." and let the sentence finish itself without pre-thinking an ending. Keep doing this until you are getting no new endings.
When you are finished, write down some of the sentences that felt strongest.

This site is maintained by Tim Desmond, MFTI 51287 :: Supervised by Bruce Ecker, MFC 21355
copyright © 2007 Tim Desmond, MA. Last updated 31March2007.