Anxiety Intervention

“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”

Steps to help you accomplish peace in your life.

  1. Begin with the latest incident and then work through others.
    • Identify the specific time and place. (Who, what, when, where…)
    • Think of behaviors: what was I doing? (I was driving home from work. Rush hour.)
    • What emotions were you feeling? (I felt anxious, sad, angry.)
    • What was your body doing? (Sweating heart palpitations, difficulty breathing)
    • What pictures were going through your head? (I imagined myself in an accident. Saw myself in a mangled car and couldn’t get out. Saw myself on my death bed…)
    • What thoughts were going through my head? (I’m going to die.)
    • Are there any interpersonal conflicts? (This might be explored later…but were alone, with your spouse, with your kids?  Any unresolved conflict with family or origin?)
    • Are you on any medications?  Drinking allot of caffeine? Not eating?
  2. Firing order.  Identify in the story what came first, then second, etc..
    • I was feeling sad because my son is leaving for college in a few days.
    • I got in my car to drive home.
    • I got caught in rush hour traffic.
    • I started to feel anxious
    • Etc
  3. Rate the strength and intensity of feelings.
    • Scale of 0-10. How strong was your anxiety?  How scared were you that you were having a heart attack? 0=not at all . 10=very scared
    • Scale of 0-10. Rate the certainty of this catastrophic event.  How serious was it that you thought you were going to die? 0= not at all 10= very convinced
  4. How did you feel versus what actually happened?
  5. Renewing your mind. Complete the next two activities:
    • Heart Chart img_1454
    • 2 Column Method: List symptoms and then by each symptom list thoughts.  Then ask, is that thought overdramatized and really a lie you are telling yourself?
  6. Learn new behavioral skills.
    • Breathing techniques
    • Meditation/prayer
    • Scripture memorization
    • Create Physical symptoms on purpose.  i.e. Exercise
  7. Consider relationship conflicts.
  8. True Profile: positive affirmations. True Profile Activity

Source: Cliff notes from Anxiety to Peace Therapy by Randy Creamer, BS Kentucky Christian University, Pastor, Professional Life Coach, Certified Gottman Educator, Founder & President – Time to Heal, Inc.