I Use This 5-Minute Therapy Technique Every Day for My Anxiety

First, you have to understand what type of cognitive distortion is occurring.

My anxiety most often shows itself in what I call “anxiety hangovers,” when I wake up on the day following a social event or meeting or comedy show feeling horrible about everything I did or said — no matter how fun or successful the event felt the night before.

Everyone thinks you’re egotistical and obnoxious, my inner voice spits at me when I wake up.

You said the exact wrong thing to your friend when she asked for your opinion, because you never think before you open your mouth.

You dominated the dinner conversation. No wonder no one likes you.

You were so embarrassing on stage, of course you aren’t a success.

The mean little voice goes on and on and on.

After big events, like a friend’s wedding or important comedy show, I’ve had panic attacks the following morning: a racing heart, trembling hands, and trouble breathing. On other days, I just can’t concentrate because of the worry and feel mentally paralyzed, and the confidence I need to do my work is sunk.

Where cognitive behavioral therapy comes in

The central idea behind cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is extremely simple: If you change the way you think, you can change the way you feel.

But if feeling better and escaping depression and anxiety were that easy, we wouldn’t live in a country where psychological distress is increasing.

While I’ve found that I can’t fully eliminate or “cure” my anxiety (and probably never will), I’ve found a simple five-minute CBT exercise that quiets it down each day. My racing thoughts stop, my foggy brain begins to clear, and my fatigue lifts.

Suddenly, I feel like I can start my day.

Called the triple column technique, which was developed and named by clinical psychiatrist Dr. David D. Burns, all it does is change my mindset. But sometimes, this shift is enough to completely shut my anxiety up for the day. A change in how we think about ourselves is all we really need to find a calmer, happier place.

Recognizing cognitive distortions

In 2014, a friend recommended Burns’ “Feeling Good,” a CBT classic that takes readers step-by-step through recognizing negative self-talk, analyzing it rationally, and replacing it with healthier and more accurate thinking.

(Burns also suggests, for many people living with anxiety and depression, to see their doctor and pair therapy and the appropriate medication if deemed necessary.)

The book made it crystal clear that I wasn’t a secretly bad person and incredible failure who can’t do anything right. I’m just a pretty regular person who has a brain that can distort reality and cause way too much anxiety, stress, and depression.

The first big lesson was to learn the specifics of cognitive distortions — those statements that the little voice makes about who I am and what’s going on in my life.

How to use the 5-minute triple column technique

Once you understand the 10 most common cognitive distortions, you can start taking a few minutes a day to complete the triple column exercise.

While you can do it in your head, it works amazingly better if you write it down and get that negative voice out of your head — believe me.

Read more on: mental