Don't let anxiety and depression keep you from living life to the fullest. If you suffer from co-occurring anxiety and depression, you may experience an overwhelming urge to avoid difficult emotions and emotional experiences. The last thing you want to do is kick the hornet's nest you carry around with you. However, the latest research in psychology emphasizes the importance of approaching-rather than avoiding-your emotions. Avoiding emotions works in the short term, but in the long term it only teaches you to believe you can't handle your feelings. What you need is a solid set of tools that will allow you to feel a full range of emotions with confidence. This book will provide just the tool set you require. In this workbook, psychologist Michael Tompkins offers evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) skills to help you target and tear down the emotional avoidance barriers that drive your anxiety and depression. By engaging with the emotions you've been seeking to avoid, you'll learn, "I can handle this feeling." You'll also find strategies to help you stay calm during emotional situations; and discover relaxation and mindfulness techniques to deal effectively with difficult thoughts and feelings, and improve your mood and well-being. The tools in this workbook help you learn this important lesson: You can handle emotions, even unpleasant ones. When you believe you can handle feeling anxious and depressed, you're less likely to avoid those feelings, creating space for you to be more willing to do the things that you want to do in your life.
