Members,
There are a number of CBT techniques that are commonly used to help people challenge worry including: thought records, thought stopping, worry time, challenging the value of worry, problem solving, experiments to increase intolerance of uncertainty and cognitive exposure. Let’s take a look at them one at a time:
Problem Solving: One of the problems with worries is that they can often seem like “real problems” rather than worries. Many people who worry find the problem solving techniques to be very helpful in challenging worries. Learning how to tell the difference between Type I and Type II problems is a good start. You can divide your worries into Type I and Type II Problems.
Remember the following rules:
Type I Problems
(life problems in the here and now)
Need to be solved
Can not be delayed
Are not about the future
May involve people you know
May involve daily situations
Type II Problems
(negative thoughts and cognitive distortions)
Vague statements
Worries about the self
Worries about other people
Worries about the world
Worries about the future
When people are depressed or anxious it‘s hard to tell the difference between a Type I and a Type II problem. However, if you can identify your worries as being about Type I and Type II Problems you can use CBT techniques for worry to deal with the Type II problems and problem solving techniques to deal with Type I Problems.
If you worry a lot, the best strategy is to assume that your Worries are Type II problems. However, even worry warts can have very real Type I problems that need to be solved.
Does this strategy work for you?
Samantha, Bilingual Health Educator
