The ABCS of Coping with Anxiety: Using CBT to manage stress and anxiety

by James Cowart

In The ABCS of Coping with Using CBT to Manage Stress and Anxiety, James Cowart offers a concise collection of tried-and-tested strategies from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and makes them accessible to people who are learning to cope with their anxiety on a day-to-day basis. Anxiety is a normal part of our human nature. For spurring you to make decisions or perform, it can actually be helpful. However, an unchecked pattern of intrusive negative thoughts can escalate the severity and persistence of the level of anxiety experienced over time. As this worsens, it is not uncommon to feel an increasing lack of control - ultimately leading to a chain of self-defeating behaviors that may negatively affect all aspects of your daily life. Yet, while it is not possible to directly control our emotions (or what others think or do), it is possible to learn and apply coping skills that can help you face feared situations - rather than escape or avoid them. James Cowart's aim in The ABCS of Coping with Anxiety is to share a toolbox of CBT techniques garnered over 40 years' clinical practice that will enable you to manage your anxiety on a sustainable path toward taking back some of that control. These self-help strategies focus on developing key coping skills designed to reduce fear and anxiety, and are complemented by a user-friendly, step-by-step program of practical exercises that can be personalized to meet each individual's unique needs. Informed by his extensive experience and therapeutic knowledge, and with real-life case studies to guide you along your own journey, James's easy-to-remember ABCS approach is as transformative as it is A is for accepting the thoughts and feelings you can and can't control; B is for breathing slowly and naturally to relieve and relax muscle tension; C is for countering any unrealistic or catastrophic thoughts with truth and logic; and S is for staying with it so you can face your fears and anxieties until they are reduced. Each step is explored in detail in the first four chapters, and further discussion is also dedicated to using the ABCS with different types of anxiety (including social anxiety, specific phobias, panic attacks and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)) and coping with related depression, anger and impulsivity. Punctuated with research-informed insight and instruction throughout, The ABCS of Coping with Anxiety offers hope, relief and reassurance in helping you master your anxiety and work toward greater independence. Suitable for those living with anxiety and for the health professionals - including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and counsellors - working with them.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

161 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 18, 2017

Reviews

[Bonnie Bowden · Rating 5 out of 5]

With over 40 years of clinical experience, Dr. James Cowart has written a concise, easy-to-understand guide for practitioners and sufferers of anxiety issues. The author includes reproducible client exercise worksheets, case studies, mental health resources, and a bibliography to further assist the reader.

At its basic core, The ABCS of Coping with Anxiety focuses on the practice of using coping skills to deal with the management of anxiety. People can work through this process alone or with the help of a trusted therapist.

As a former patient of Dr. Cowart’s, I can personally endorse his non-judgmental, compassionate approach to coping with OCD and depression. I still rely on his ABCS method on a daily basis. I am so thankful to have worked with a mentor who gave me the tools and support to work through some of my toughest challenges.

As a first step, I encourage those who suffer from anxiety to work through this book and face your fears. Although it is not easy, I believe you will find the freedom to live a more productive and fulfilling life.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

It really is a great book. It’s more of a handy guide when in trouble, to remind yourself pf useful skills and things to do to organise your mind and get back to a good headspace. I dont give it 5 stars because even tho it’s great it really is a bit repetitive. Sure enough some people will appreciate this is they are very new to cbt tips but as someone that has gone through months of cbt and just needed a quick book to have handy it really is repetitive.
I did enjoy the writing and the exercises. Would still recommend specially if your new to it. And need a quick reminder of simple coping mechanisms.

[Laura Rueckert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book based on a friend's recommendation, to help support one of my kids, who has anxiety. I've started working through the exercises with him and will continue. I had assumed based on the title that it would be 26 things to do (one for each of the ABCs), but it's actually A, B, C and S – only four things, which makes it a lot easier to remember. There are several exercises you can do, and you might want to copy some pages (copying specifically allowed by the author), so the print version might be better than the ebook. Recommended!

[Josie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book focused on the ABCS coping mechanism and shared different perspectives of working towards over coming your fears. It changed my mindset of how I see things and has helped me to take those steps towards overcoming my fears and give others advice.

[Lawrence Carriere · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been one of those people that has said, “I can’t keep living like this” and “this has got to stop.” I’ve always felt the only way to conquer my anxiety was the right medication or an act of God to remove it. A few of the books I’ve read on anxiety teach (from the experience of the authors) that the path to freedom from anxiety is through the anxiety, not away our around it. I've not hit one that explains how to do that though.

The ABCS of Coping with Anxiety helps in laying out a simple but effective CBT method to cope with anxiety as it’s happening.

I live with health anxiety and have found the (A)cceptance in the ABCS, quite helpful. An upset stomach can make me spin out of control and think I’m going to have a heart attack. Don’t ask. It just does. But sitting in the gruesome reality of death and learning to accept that has been freeing.

This book has helped me on my journey through my anxiety and helped to stop running from it.

Caveat: always seek medical advice and never stop taking meds without a doctor’s supervision.

[Joyce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Contains some interesting ideas.

[Laura Bearden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful, simplified version of CBT. It is helpful for all anxiety, but will not be enough for thise struggling with crippling anxiety. All people with anxiety, however, should read it.