joey9
02-05-2008, 11:02 AM
Face Everything And Recover!!! Wow, I have just finished my first self-help book on cognitive behavioural therapy. It was certainly an eye opener. It made me realise how crooked my thought processes have become over 34 years. Reading about how CBT helps my particular brand of anxiety (fear of criticism, being judged, making mistakes etc.) alongside ones that don't affect me (e.g. agoraphobia, hyperchondria etc.) has made me realise how much attention I focus on what scares me, whilst others focus on what scares them, whereas I would let those stimuli pass me by. I can only overcome my fears by facing up to them, just as 'normal' people do everyday without being so horribly affected by them. Why oh why don't they teach CBT (or 'positive thinking') in schools starting from an early age BEFORE people are so badly affected? I realise now that I am so afraid of 'fear' that I have spent my life avoiding anything that might trigger me feeling fearful. This is without doubt the worst possible thing I could ever have done. If only someone had told me sooner! It seems so simple but now I have to work on unraveling all the harm I have done over the years which is not going to be pleasant as I have many things to face up to. Anyone who has not tried CBT - either self-help or with a therapist - I totally recommend it, if only to understand how you have arrived at where you are.