Managing Yourself

In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, you will be asked to set goals for what you want
to achieve through this therapeutic work. "What would your life look like if you were
able to better manage your depression, anxiety, etc.?" is a question that you will
need to define for yourself. Because as you will see in our work together, we are
collaborating to help you develop skills to manage your emotional self on a day to
day basis for the rest of your life.

For example, can you imagine a life in which you were not suffering from depression?
You might see yourself as being more social, exercising more regularly, having more
energy to be more involved with various activities with your children, spouse, family…to
name just a few changes. And then when life throws you the various “curves”
(challenges of life), and stressful times ensue, you are less likely to revert back
to your old depressive behavioral patterns.

Or imagine a life in which you were not suffering from severe levels of anxiety
For example, without the constant worrying tendency of generalized anxiety disorder,
you might envision a lif e in which yousmile and laugh more each day; without phobias,
you might envision the ability to drive on that freeway again after many years of not
doing so; without obsessive compulsive disorders,you might envision the ability
to get through a day without constantly washing your hands to prevent contact
with germs; without panic attacks, you might envision the ability to once again go

into that shopping mall and be in acrowd of people without leaving early for fear of
losing control”; without post traumatic stress disorder, you might envision the ability
to have good night of sleep without nightmares; without health anxiety, you might
envision the ability to minimize your visits to the doctor for minor aches and pains;
and without social phobias, you might envision the ability to say “hello” first to people
you see in the hallways at work and to invite others to join you for that morning coffee
break. This is the work of CognitiveBehavioral Therapy…to help you achieve that life
you have been wanting to live or to get back to life as you once knew it…and to help
you learn the skills for managing your emotional self for the rest of your life. This is
some of the most exciting work you could ever do in therapy because it can open
up endless possibilities for a more fulfilling life ahead.