Introduction

Do you worry too much? Are you often sad or down in the dumps? Do you have to drag yourself out of bed in the morning? Or maybe you avoid people more than you should. If so, you’re probably dealing with some type of anxiety or depression. Depression and anxiety are serious problems--they darken vision and distort thinking, while draining joy and pleasure from life.

Everyone feels sad or worried from time to time. Unpleasant feelings are a normal part of life. But when depression or anxiety interferes with work, play, and/or relationships, it’s time to take action.

Good news! You can conquer these problems. And this workbook will help. You can use the Anxiety and Depression Workbook For Dummies on its own or as a supplement to counseling. In either case, numerous studies show that self-help efforts work.

Experts estimate that almost a quarter of the people in the world will experience significant problems with anxiety. And between fifteen and twenty percent will succumb to the ravages of depression at one point or another in their lives. Many people suffer from both of these maladies. Over the years we’ve known many clients, friends, and family members who have anguished over anxiety or depression. Most of them have found significant relief.

So if you struggle with anxiety, depression, or both—you’re not alone. We join you in your battle by giving you strategies based on research and plenty of practice opportunities that help you defeat depression and overcome anxiety.

About This Book

Our purpose in writing this book is to give you a wide range of skills and tools for managing anxiety and depression. Although we overview essential concepts about depression and anxiety, this book is action oriented. In other words, you’ll have the opportunity to actively apply ideas to your life in meaningful ways.

No doubt you’ve used workbooks in school. A math workbook may have helped you apply math concepts to everyday problems. Or a reading workbook improved your ability to comprehend stories. Today, you can find workbooks on almost any topic:

§ Selling your home

§ Succeeding on tests

§ Preparing your taxes

§ Improving your memory

The purpose of any workbook is to lay out basic understanding about a topic and then provide numerous opportunities for applying and practicing those concepts. Typically, books explain issues. Workbooks help you master new skills. In other words, the Anxiety and Depression Workbook For Dummies is “less talk—more action.”

Did you notice the “work” part of workbook? Oops. Don’t put this book back on the shelf quite yet! You’ll be well “paid” for your work. The compensation comes in the form of increased life satisfaction and reduced emotional distress. And the work is actually rather interesting. That’s because you’ll discover new ways to live your life and get what you want.

How This Book Is Organized

The Anxiety and Depression Workbook is organized into seven parts and twenty chapters. Right now we tell you a little bit about each part.

Part I: Analyzing Angst and Preparing a Plan

Chapter 1 helps you discover whether you have a problem with anxiety or depression. Quizes help you know where these problems show up in your world and what they do to your thoughts, behavior, feelings, and relationships. Chapter 2 takes you on a journey to the origins of your problems with anxiety and depression. Knowing where it all began helps you realize that you’re not to blame. Chapter 3 prevents self-sabotage. Sometimes change feels overwhelming and this chapter helps you keep moving forward. Chapter 4 provides ways for keeping track of your moods and becoming more aware of your thoughts.

Part II: Thinking About Thinking: Thought Therapy

The chapters in this part help you become a thought detective. You see how to examine your thoughts for distortions. Then you prosecute those distorted thoughts and rehabilitate them.

Next, you see how certain core beliefs darken and distort your view of yourself, your world, and your future as surely as eyeglasses with the wrong prescription. We include tools for regrinding your life-lenses so you can see more clearly. Finally, you have the opportunity to practice mindfulness and acceptance—more techniques for handling troubling thoughts.

Part III: Actions Against Angst: Behavior Therapy

Chapter 9 spells out how to take direct action against the natural tendency to avoid what makes you depressed or anxious. Chapter 10 gets you moving. We provide exercises for encouraging exercise. When you’re depressed or anxious few activities sound like fun. Chapter 11 gives you worksheets for reintroducing pleasure into your life. Finally, Chapter 12 helps you tackle life problems.

Part IV: Phocus on Physical Pheelings

It’s also important to address the physical side of distress. Hormones, produced by excessive stress associated with anxiety and depression, ravage the body by increasing blood pressure and contributing to stomach problems, weight gain, and heart disease. Therefore, relaxation techniques play an important role in alleviating anxiety and depression. Chapter 13 provides a variety of exercises for reducing tension and stress. Medication is an additional option for many people who are depressed or anxious. Chapter 14 gives you guides for making the decision as to whether medications are the right choice for you.

Part V: Relationship Therapy

Depression and anxiety can spillover and contaminate your relationships like sewage dumped into a river. Good relationships offer support in dealing with emotional distress, whereas spoiled relationships just make things worse. This part helps you figure out if your relationships are suffering. Worksheets and exercises help you improve the quality of your relationships.

Part VI: Looking Beyond Anxiety and Depression

After people overcome their anxiety and depression, naturally they prefer to go on with their lives as though they’d never had a problem. Unfortunately, like the flu, you can catch depression or anxiety more than once. Don’t worry; chapter 17 tells you how to prepare for and deal with any setbacks. And chapter 18 helps you to develop positive habits that lead toward a more joyful, meaningful, and connected life.

Part VII: The Part of Tens

Chapter 19 provides ten resources for dealing with depression and anxiety. If you want a quick way out of a bad mood, chapter 20 is for you -- it lists ten remedies that don’t take a whole lot of effort.