Behavioral Activation and Anxiety
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health problems in the United States, with around one-third of people reporting some form of anxiety.
When left untreated, anxiety can lead to many problems, including relationship issues, poor job performance, substance abuse, and more.
Luckily, some new research suggests that behavioral activation —a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)—may help people with anxiety find productive ways to manage their negative emotions and feel more in control of their lives.
Here’s what you need to know about behavioral activation and how it helps with anxiety.
What is Behavioral Activation?
Behavioral activation is a treatment for depression and anxiety that encourages patients to change their emotions. It is used as an alternative to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which often focuses on challenging negative or distorted thoughts through practice.
BA was developed by clinical psychologist Steven C. Hayes, who treats people with various conditions at his private practice. But, Hayes said, “we’re not just trying to think our way out of things; behavior matters.”
You have to act your way into new ways of thinking about yourself and feeling about yourself. This approach can be beneficial when someone has become trapped in destructive thought patterns and struggles with low self-esteem.
For example, one common scenario might involve someone avoiding interactions because they anticipate rejection. They aren’t able to get out of bed because they don’t want anyone judging them; they spend more time doing housework than engaging friends because it gives them something productive to do; and so on.
Behavioral Activation in Combating Anxiety
There are several theories on how to best approach anxiety. However, clinical treatment through counseling and medication may be required for those who suffer from a generalized, long-term anxiety disorder (like PTSD or GAD).
However, for people struggling with situational anxiety—that is, when they experience high levels of anxiety in a particular situation (for example, social situations, test-taking, flying)—it can be helpful to learn some effective coping strategies. This could include behavioral activation techniques to combat anxiety.
One strategy that can be helpful for those experiencing situational anxiety is behavioral activation. For example, many anxious people don’t want to leave their homes or interact with others because they think these situations will make them more anxious.
But in fact, there is some evidence to suggest that being around others and doing activities you enjoy may reduce your level of anxiety overall. There’s a lot of evidence that behavioral activation (BA) is an effective treatment for anxiety and depression therapy.
BA tries to help people identify activities that will make them feel happy and then suggests they do more of those things to combat their negative emotions. It seems like common sense: we all know that some activities can make us feel better when we’re down. So why not try to do more of those? That’s referred to as behavioral activation.
Creating an Anxiety Plan
How do you create an anxiety plan? First, start by figuring out what causes your anxiety. Is it a particular situation, place, or person? Once you’ve pinpointed what triggers your anxiety, you can start to create solutions.
While some people work more effectively under pressure, others have no choice but to prepare ahead of time. The key is to create a plan that works for you and gives you confidence.
The most important thing is to find something that helps reduce your fears and then stick with it! You should also seek support from family members or friends who love and care about you so they can encourage you along the way.
Changing Your Thoughts
Psychologists have recently discovered that one of the most powerful ways to overcome anxiety is simply changing your thoughts.
For example, if you constantly worry about an upcoming job interview, ask yourself: What’s the worst outcome for my interview? Perhaps not getting hired or getting hired and failing spectacularly? Most people realize that it’s far better to get hired and fail than not get hired at all.
Changing your thought patterns with the help of behavioral activation by using positive affirmations can help eliminate feelings of fear and anxiety—making it easier to face new situations and handle complex tasks.
Understanding Feelings
Psychologists typically divide feelings into two categories: emotions and moods. Emotions are intense feelings that can be defined, while moods are more subtle and longer-lasting. Feelings vary in intensity, frequency, and duration.
Feeling fearful one day does not necessarily mean you have clinical anxiety; most people will feel sad from time to time, but if these feelings don’t go away and start interfering with your work or relationships, it may be worth talking to a psychologist about treatment options.
In addition to medication, psychologists offer cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders—the gold standard of treatment—and other therapies such as hypnosis, counseling, and mindfulness.
Ending Bad Habits
We all have bad habits we would be happy to break. And we all have ways we beat ourselves up when they start to creep back in. One approach that can help you stop negative habits or start positive ones is behavioral activation (BA).
It is an evidence-based treatment method that focuses on changing behaviors and situations linked to depression, anxiety, stress, and other mental health conditions.
It identifies what triggers your discomfort or symptoms turning those triggers into motivators for good behavior…instead of excuses for avoiding bad behavior. In other words, figuring out what makes you feel better and then doing more of it.
Wrap up
Anxiety isn’t something that can be cured, per se. But by identifying and targeting triggers, as well as practicing mindfulness and other skills (more on these in a bit), you can ease your stress levels and get back to enjoying life.
It won’t happen overnight, but it can—and will—happen. Behavioral activation can help especially combined with treatment through talking therapies or alternative treatments like acupuncture or yoga, which can help people with anxiety feel calmer and happier in their daily lives.