February 2008

Welcome!

So, how has the New Year started for you? Have you been able to set aside more time to practice the techniques I talk about in the e-course? I hope these techniques have helped you to manage your anxiety successfully. But if you could do with a bit more help, watch out for my new anxiety management toolkit which I will be launching in March!

Would you like to listen to my thoughts and experiences with anxiety? You can listen to my interview with Rich here. Find out more about the work Rich does to help people beat driving fear at his website.

As always, I hope you find the information in this newsletter useful. If there are any particular questions you would like answered, please email me.

Warm regards,
Karen

The Top 3 Negative Thoughts

A very real aspect of anxiety are the negative thoughts that many people have. Research on social anxiety, in particular, has shown that there are a whole range of negative thoughts but the three most common types of negative thoughts are related to ‘performance’, ‘negative outcome’ and ‘other-labelling’.

‘Performance’

These are thoughts where you are concerned about your performance. So you will be thinking ‘I’m going to mess up this presentation’ or ‘I won’t know how to answer the questions’.

‘Negative Outcome’

These are thoughts where you think there will be a poor outcome. So you will be thinking ‘I bet no one turns up to the meeting’ or ‘She won’t want to talk to me’.

‘Other-Labelling’

These are thoughts where you ‘mind-read’ what other people are thinking. So you will be thinking ‘He won’t like me’ or ‘She will think I’m stupid’.

What can you do?

If you recognise any of these thoughts in yourself, think about the times when you have had these thoughts. Did these thoughts come into your head even before you had talked to people or before the event? It is likely that these thoughts are your subjective interpretation of the event rather an objective assessment.

Don’t try to hide these thoughts. Let them come out in your mind and learn to question the thoughts. So if you start to think ‘She won’t talk to me’ - question this thought by considering whether there are any reasons for the thoughts. What evidence, if any, can you find either for or against? By questioning these thoughts, you can begin to challenge whether these thoughts are accurate.

Karen recommends

Are you a busy professional struggling to manage your time and energy? Nutritional consultant Janet Gomez has written ‘Plans for dinner?” for you. This practical holistic cooking guide to preparing satisfying food rapidly is a unique opportunity to increase your vitality and efficiency. Receive balanced menu plans, shopping lists, original tried and tested recipes and much more. Visit http://www.nutrijyoti.com/plansfordinner.htm.

Reprint?

You may reprint this article as long as the article remains intact and you include this information:

Karen Field, Personal Development Coach, founder of http://www.breakfreefromanxiety.co.uk helps people to learn to manage their anxiety to create a life free from stress. To sign up for her free mini e-course, visit http://www.breakfreefromanxiety.co.uk.

Disclaimer

I am not a medical professional. If you have any doubts about the suitability of these techniques or if you have any pre-existing medical conditions; please consult your doctor first.

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