Anxiety free : unravel your fears before they unravel you

We live in the Age of Anxiety. In any given year, about 18 percent of Americans will suffer from an anxiety disorder, and over the course of a lifetime, this number rises to nearly 30 percent. The rates of overall anxiety have increased dramatically during the last 50 years. In fact, the average child today exhibits the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient in the 1950s. Thanks to advances in modern psychology, we know much more about anxiety than we once did—where it comes from, how it operates on the mind, and the behavior it generates. __Understanding__ anxiety is the key to __overcoming__ it. In __Anxiety Free,__ **Robert L. Leahy, Ph.D.__,__** best-selling author of __The Worry Cure,__ looks at the origin of anxiety and teaches us how to outsmart our fears for a less stressful life. Anxiety is part of our biological heritage. Our ancestors lived in a world filled with life-threatening dangers, and it was in the face of these dangers that the human psyche evolved. Fear was protective, and to survive, our ancestors’ minds were programmed with rules of how to react to their environment. These preprogrammed rules of reaction were passed through the generations and now keep us in the grip of anxiety. We no longer live in the primitive world that created our fears, but we operate as if we’re still running from tigers, fighting starvation, and risking incurable disease. To break free from the tyranny of anxiety, we need to rewrite these preprogrammed rules. In __Anxiety Free,__ Leahy addresses the six recognized anxiety disorders—specific phobia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder—explaining what each is and which outmoded rules it follows. He then offers simple, step-by-step techniques for confronting and overcoming our specific anxieties. Using Leahy’s methods, which are based on the best psychological treatments available, we can work toward a life free from the apprehension, tension, and avoidance associated with anxiety. In his new book, Robert L. Leahy, Ph.D., author of the best-selling book The Worry Cure, turns his attention to anxiety. Leahy looks at the origin of anxiety and teaches you how to outsmart your fears for a less stressful life. He lays out the symptoms associated with some of the most common anxiety disorders, including panic and agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive, generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and post-traumatic stress and provides simple, step-by-step guides to help you overcome the fears associated with each of these. Anxiety Free explores how preprogrammed rules of reaction, which are a product of the evolutionary process, keep us in the grip of anxiety. For each anxiety disorder, Leahy shows how our fears and unchallenged assumptions stand in the way of our freedom. Using Leahy{u2019}s methods, which are based on the best psychological treatments available, you will be able to work toward a life free from the apprehension, tension, and avoidance associated with anxiety We Live In The Age Of Anxiety. The Rates Of Overall Anxiety Have Increased Dramatically During The Last 50 Years. In Fact, The Average Child Today Exhibits The Same Level Of Anxiety As The Average Psychiatric Patient In The 1950s. We Now Know Where It Comes From, How It Operates On The Mind, And The Behavior It Generates. Here, Cognitive Therapist Robert L. Leahy Looks At The Origin Of Anxiety And Teaches Us How To Outsmart Our Fears For A Less Stressful Life. Our Ancestors Lived In A World Filled With Life-threatening Dangers. Fear Was Protective, And Our Ancestors' Minds Were Programmed With Rules Of How To React To Their Environment. To Break Free, We Need To Rewrite These Preprogrammed Rules. Leahy Addresses The Six Recognized Anxiety Disorders, Explaining What Each Is And Which Outmoded Rules It Follows. He Then Offers Simple, Step-by-step Techniques For Confronting And Overcoming Our Specific Anxieties.--from Publisher Description. Understanding anxiety -- Anxiety as adaptation -- The anxiety rule book -- "That's dangerous!" : specific phobia -- "I'm losing control" : panic disorder and agoraphobia -- "Never enough" : obsessive-compulsive disorder -- "Yeah, but what if--?" : generalized anxiety disorder -- "I'm so embarrassed!" : social anxiety disorder -- "It's happening again" : post-traumatic stress disorder -- Final thoughts