OCD is associated with obsessive anxious thoughts in which we overestimate the likelihood and and exaggerate the severity of potential negative consequences or outcomes. Cognitive restructuring helps us modify our thoughts to make them more accurate and realistic, which in turn reduces our anxiety. The video below covers anxiety in general, but includes concepts that can help reduce obsessions.
CBT for Anxiety and Cognitive Restructuring
Cognitive restructuring is important in CBT because it helps us change how we’re thinking. And in CBT, changing our thoughts is one of the main ways we change how we feel. If we’re able to modify our worries and anxious thoughts in order to:
- more accurately estimate a situation’s level of threat and danger
- consider outcomes other than the worst case scenario
- feel more confident in our abilities to cope with negative outcomes
then we’ll start to reduce our anxiety.
The questions in the Cognitive Restructuring for Anxiety Worksheet [download PDF] or [download Word] can help with cognitive restructuring of worries and anxious thoughts.
Next we’ll learn how to complete a worry record, that guides us through the process of cognitive restructuring for anxiety. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them on the YouTube video page.