Travis Wells > Quotes

“Anxiety is characterized by feelings of intense discomfort, which motivates us to avoid the situation that is making us uncomfortable.”
― Travis Wells, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Beginners Guide to CBT with Simple Techniques for Retraining the Brain to Defeat Anxiety, Depression, and Low-Self Esteem

“Practice noticing, recording, and describing your thoughts, feelings, and actions regularly. The more you do this, the easier this strategy will become for you.”
― Travis Wells, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Beginners Guide to CBT with Simple Techniques for Retraining the Brain to Defeat Anxiety, Depression, and Low-Self Esteem

“A similar technique is to finish each day by remembering and visualizing the best parts. Keep a journal of positive thoughts, sometimes called a "gratitude journal.”
― Travis Wells, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Beginners Guide to CBT with Simple Techniques for Retraining the Brain to Defeat Anxiety, Depression, and Low-Self Esteem

“Similar to depression, there is some evidence that anxiety is caused by faulty and negative thought processes, such as the belief that everything has to be perfect.”
― Travis Wells, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Beginners Guide to CBT with Simple Techniques for Retraining the Brain to Defeat Anxiety, Depression, and Low-Self Esteem

“Learning what is going on in your mind and body Breaking down what is making you feel sad or overwhelmed Focusing on the thoughts, actions, and feelings that make you depressed Making problems more manageable Correcting the misinterpretations that you may have Controlling the negative thoughts that lead to loss of interest and feelings of worthlessness Helping you learn how to accept loss, disappointment, and failure and how to not blow these experiences out of proportion or dwell on them for too long Learning new strategies to combat sadness and hopelessness Learning techniques for problem-solving”
― Travis Wells, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Beginners Guide to CBT with Simple Techniques for Retraining the Brain to Defeat Anxiety, Depression, and Low-Self Esteem

“Learn to identify your problems and issues more concretely Become more aware of your mood and emotions Develop an understanding of negative automatic thoughts Learn to challenge the assumptions that you make in your mind Start to distinguish between what is fact and what is just a thought Make sense of overwhelming problems by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable parts Begin to look at situations from a different and more positive perspective Learn strategies for facing your fears and anxieties Stop hiding behind avoidance techniques Learn to avoid cognitive distortions, generalizations, and “black and white” ways of thinking Stop being so hard on yourself and taking the blame for things that are not your fault nor your responsibility Stop focusing on how you think things should be and learn to appreciate how they actually are Set and achieve goals for better, long-term mental health”
― Travis Wells, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Beginners Guide to CBT with Simple Techniques for Retraining the Brain to Defeat Anxiety, Depression, and Low-Self Esteem

“Gradually working your way up to your most feared situation using a step-by-step approach is called "systematic desensitization." Systematic desensitization allows you to challenge your fears gradually. It gives you confidence as you pass through the steps successfully and teaches you skills for controlling your anxiety and panic in increasingly difficult situations..”
― Travis Wells, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Beginners Guide to CBT with Simple Techniques for Retraining the Brain to Defeat Anxiety, Depression, and Low-Self Esteem

“What evidence is there that this thought is true? Is there another way of looking at this particular situation? What positive perspective can I take? Am I only paying attention to the negative side of the event or occurrence? What would I tell someone else who was thinking this?”
― Travis Wells, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Beginners Guide to CBT with Simple Techniques for Retraining the Brain to Defeat Anxiety, Depression, and Low-Self Esteem