The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety: A Guide to Breaking Free from Anxiety, Phobias, and Worry Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (A New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook)

Is anxiety and fear a problem for you? Have you tried to win the war with your anxious mind and body, only to end up feeling frustrated, powerless, and stuck? If so, you’re not alone. But there is a way forward, a path into genuine happiness, and a way back into living the kind of life you so desperately want. This workbook will help you get started on this new journey today! Now in its second edition, __The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety__ offers a new approach to your anxiety, fears, and your life. Within its pages, you’ll find a powerful and tested set of tools and strategies to help you gain freedom from fear, trauma, worry, and all the many manifestations of anxiety and fear. The book offers an empowering approach to help you create the kind of life you so desperately want to live. Based on a revolutionary approach to psychological health and wellness called acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), this fully revised and updated second edition offers compelling new exercises to help you create the conditions for your own genuine happiness and peace of mind. You’ll learn how your mind can trap you, keeping you stuck and struggling in anxiety and fear. You’ll also discover ways to nurture your capacity for acceptance, mindfulness, kindness, and compassion, and use these qualities to weaken the power of anxiety and fear so that you can gain the space do what truly matters to you. Now is the time. Nobody chooses anxiety. And there is no healthy way to “turn off” anxious thoughts and feelings like a light switch. But you can learn to break free from the shackles of anxiety and fear and take back your life. The purpose of this workbook is to help you do just that. Your life is calling on you to make that choice, and the skills in this workbook can help you make it happen. You can live better, more fully, and more richly with or without anxiety and fear. This book will show you the way. -- Recent studies support for the effectiveness of ACT-based self-help workbooks as a low-cost treatment for people experiencing anxiety. (Ritzert, T., Forsyth, J. P., Berghoff, C. R., Boswell, J., & Eifert, G. H. (2016). Evaluating the effectiveness of ACT for anxiety disorders in a self-help context: Outcomes from a randomized wait-list controlled trial. __Behavior Therapy, 47__, 431-572.) __This book has been awarded The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Seal of Merit — an award bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives.__ Acknowledgments 12 Prologue—Does This Workbook Really Work? 16 Introduction 20 PART 1 32 PREPARING THE WAY FOR SOMETHING NEW 32 Chapter 1 34 Choose a New Approach to Get a Different Outcome 34 Chapter 2 52 You Are Not Alone: Understanding Anxiety and Its Disorders 52 Chapter 3 80 Confronting the Core Problem: Living to Avoid Fear and Anxiety Is No Way to Live 80 Chapter 4 88 Myths About Anxiety and Its Disorders 88 Chapter 5 98 Letting Go of Old Myths Opens Up New Opportunities 98 PART 2 114 STARTING A NEW JOURNEY 114 Chapter 6 116 Facing the Costs to Take Charge of Your Life 116 Chapter 7 132 What Matters More to You: Managing Anxiety or Living a Good Life? 132 Chapter 8 146 Ending Your Struggle with Anxiety Is the Solution 146 Chapter 9 164 You Control Your Choices, Actions, and Destiny 164 Chapter 10 180 Getting into Your Life with Mindful Acceptance 180 Chapter 11 196 Taking the Observer Perspective: You are Much More than Your Problems 196 PART 3 216 RECLAIMING YOUR LIFE AND LIVING IT 216 Chapter 12 218 Taking Control of Your Life 218 Chapter 13 232 Finding Your Values 232 Chapter 14 252 Breaking Free from Anxiety with Mindful Acceptance 252 Chapter 15 268 Bringing Compassion to Your Anxiety 268 Chapter 16 280 Developing Comfort in Your Own Skin 280 Chapter 17 296 Developing Comfort with Your Judgmental Mind 296 Chapter 18 312 Making Peace with a Difficult Past 312 Chapter 19 328 Moving Toward a Valued Life 328 Chapter 20 342 Staying the Course and Living Your Values 342 Further Readings and Internet Resources 354 REFERENCES 358 _GoBack 56 _GoBack 126 _GoBack 128 _GoBack 171 _GoBack 267 _GoBack 333 _GoBack 357 _GoBack 361 Choose a new approach to get a different outcome You are not alone: understanding anxiety and its disorders Confronting the core problem: living to avoid fear and anxiety Myths about anxiety and its disorders Letting go of old myths opens up new opportunities Facing the costs to take charge of your life What matters more to you: managing your anxiety or living a good life? Ending your struggle with anxiety is the solution You control your choices, actions, and destiny Getting into your life with mindful acceptance Learning mindful acceptance Taking control of your life Finding your values Breaking free from anxiety Bringing compassion to your anxiety Developing comfort in your own skin Developing comfort with your judgmental mind Making peace with a difficult past Moving toward a valued life Staying the course and living your values. "Anxiety happens. It's not a choice. And it can leave you feeling powerless, frustrated, and stuck. But it doesn't have to be this way. There are steps you can take to live better and more fully, and cultivate the conditions for genuine happiness, without having to defeat, manage, or control your anxieties and fears. Your life is calling on you to make that choice--and the skills in this book can help you make it a reality."--Page [4] cover Stop avoiding anxiety and start showing up to your life! Now in its second edition, The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety offers new, step-by-step skills based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help you get started today. This edition features new chapters on trauma, self as-context, and painful pasts.