This post is all about the best workbook for anxiety that has genuinely helped me in my mental health journey, and I know it will help you too!
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Listed below are the 7 benefits of The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook: 7th Edition by Dr. Edmund J Bourne, PhD. It is available on Amazon, click here!
I have experienced and suffered from anxiety practically my entire life, but especially the last few years when it has compounded with my depression.
One of my previous therapists recommended The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook: 7th Edition.
I am self-motivated and have done research and read a few different literary works and workbooks. In my experience, it is one of the first workbooks for anxiety that 1) was written in a way you could fully understand and 2) broke anxiety down into a myriad of tiny pieces instead of slapping on the “general anxiety” label. It was eye-opening and started me in a direction that was actually helpful.
Anxiety is tricky to pin down because it can be influenced and caused by so many different things on top of presenting differently in every single person. It’s daunting to try and work on and overcome anxiety when there’s an abyss staring back at you.
Lucky for us, Dr. Edmund J Bourne, PhD has made our journey a little more manageable. And affordable.
7 Reasons You Need The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook: 7th Edition by Dr. Edmund J Bourne, PhD to aid your mental health journey.
*Please note, that if you do not have any phobias, you can skip those sections if you’d like.*
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First and foremost, I will include a list of the chapter titles in The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook: 7th Edition.
- Anxiety Disorders
- Major Causes of Anxiety Disorders
- Recovery: A Comprehensive Approach
- Relaxation
- Physical Exercise
- Coping with Panic Attacks
- Exposure for Phobia
- Self-Talk
- Mistaken Beliefs
- Overcoming Worry
- Personality Styles That Perpetuate Anxiety
- Ten Common Specific Phobias
- Dealing with Feelings
- Being Assertive
- Self-Esteem
- Nutrition
- Health Conditions That May Contribute to Anxiety
- Medication for Anxiety
- Meditation
- Relapse Prevention
- Personal Meaning
In the 7th Edition, there is also a Postscript and a few appendixes with further information.
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Reason #1: It is Written Well and Easy to Understand
Have you experienced trying to read through a textbook or workbook and can barely stay focused or interested because of how it’s written? I know I have.
Luckily, this workbook for anxiety is easy to follow, concise, and broken down into several segments of anxiety to minimize overwhelm and stress.
Reason #2: Filled with Worksheets, Coping Strategies and Statements, Affirmations, etc.
Bourne includes a ton of things to try, worksheets to work through, coping strategies, and so on. You can go through the workbook for anxiety at your own pace, and it gives you tangible things to try and apply in your everyday life.
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Reason #3: The Author, Bourne, Breaks Anxiety Down into Inciteful Bite-Sized Pieces
This was helpful in multiple aspects.
- I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Although having a diagnosis is helpful, that’s about as vague as you can get.
- It explains and explores nearly every aspect and symptom of anxiety, so you can get down to the nitty-gritty of what you need to work on in your journey. In doing so, it helped me pinpoint what I actually have anxiety about and therefore can develop accurate coping strategies.
- Moreover, it was validating. I knew I had anxiety, but having it displayed in front of me helped me realize and validate how severe my anxiety is.
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Reason #4: A Great AFFORDABLE Resource
Right now, we all need any help we can get in the financial department. The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook: 7th Edition is a great affordable resource.
Access to therapy and other mental health resources can be difficult to come by, can take forever to come to fruition, or is just downright out of our price range.
Moreover, therapy sessions can easily only occur once a month. Not to downplay the important work that therapists and psychiatrists provide, they unfortunately aren’t available for all the in-between stuff.
This is an incredible resource if therapy or other mental health resources aren’t in the cards right now, you’re in between sessions, or you’re on a waiting list that lasts a month or more.
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Reason #5: A Helpful Tool to Decide WHAT to Work on in Therapy (or something equivalent).
As mentioned, therapy is usually an hour-long session once a month, sometimes more. It can be difficult to pinpoint what you’d like to work on to get the most out of your therapy sessions.
While the workbook gives general definitions and things to work on, your therapist can help you individualize things in the workbook for anxiety to work on your specific triggers and needs.
For example, anxiety can be a general term for what to work on with a therapist. Whereas, as you’ll read about in the workbook, suggesting to work on self-talk, practicing positive self-talk, creating coping statements, and asking for additional clarification on a specific aspect can be way more bang for your buck when your time with a therapist is limited.
Therapists are there to help you in your journey, it can feel empowering to know what to work on and what to ask.
Take your power back.
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Reason #6: Illuminating the Relationship Between Stress and Anxiety
Like anxiety, stress is a generalized term. Everyone says to “reduce stress”, but what does that really mean?
Before reading this workbook, my brain did not realize the influential connection between stress and anxiety. That is something I am now striving to work on. Reduce stress to reduce anxiety. It’s so simple, yet so complex in practice.
The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook: 7th Edition is filled with coping strategies to help reduce stress. Including but not limited to the entire chapters on relaxation, meditation, and physical exercise.
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Reason #7: It Goes the Extra Mile to Include a Chapter on Relapse Prevention
Have you had the glorious experience of a speaker or self-help book presenting this glorious cure-all (have you detected my sarcasm? lol), pushing you out of the nest and saying “Here’s this thing to try, good luck!” And that’s it.
Then, you go and try that thing for a set time and it inevitably does not solve all your problems (admittedly that is not a healthy expectation, nothing can solve everything), and you’re left feeling inadequate or like a failure.
Where’s the follow-up?
Dr. Edmund J Bourne, PhD discusses relapses, which are 100% normal and common, and even gives suggestions of what you may need to work on further.
Even if you work through the entire workbook and stick with your coping strategies, sometimes you still need more. He acknowledges relapses and gives actionable suggestions to help you during a relapse. I appreciate that he admits that the workbook may not work 100%, and gives you a direction to get the help you need.
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Chapters That Resonated With Me the Most
*Please note, that this is regarding my own experience. This will be different for everyone. I genuinely believe every chapter is worth reading.*
As someone with depression, and anxiety, and working to overcome my perfectionism, these were the chapters that resonated with me the most. I’m simply including this list in case it helps anyone in their own journey. These will be presented in numerical chapter numbers.
Chapter 8: Self-Talk
Chapter 11: Personality Styles That Perpetuate Anxiety
- Perfectionism
- Excessive Need for Approval
- Tendency to Ignore Physical and Psychological Signs of Stress
- Excessive Need for Control
Chapter 15: Self-Esteem
Chapter 20: Relapse Prevention
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And there you have it, the 7 Reasons You Need this Life-Changing Workbook for Anxiety
Anxiety and mental illness can make us feel powerless, directionless, and overwhelmed. This workbook for anxiety is worth the try.
Do you have a self-help book or workbook for anxiety that you’ve found helpful? What are your go-to coping strategies for anxiety? I’d love to hear about them, leave a comment below!
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