Reddit reviews Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, 3rd Edition: A Teach Yourself Guide

YES, you absolutely can. I developed anxiety around the same age as you, and had no access to real therapy either. It was sink or swim - I could either stay like it, or find a way to help myself. It took time for me to actually come to the conclusion that helping myself was even possible, but I did, and it paid off. I now rarely, if ever, have panic attacks, and I'm generally much more resilient to stress and uncertainty.

What I did will most likely sound too simple and perhaps unrealistic, but hear me out. I bought a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) book. It basically became my bible. I read it all, took notes, did exercises, and followed it down to the letter. It was difficult, and it took time - but I began seeing an improvement after about 2-3 months. After about 9 months - 1 year, I was a different person. I was helped by it so much that I recommended it to my SO, who has OCD, and he's way better for it now as well. Once you learn the techniques, you can use them at any time, and for almost any kind of anxiety/stress/fear.

My father has always had a 'if I can't get someone else to do it, I'll learn it myself' attitude, and I suppose that was what I was doing. I wanted to be my OWN therapist, so I could be fully self-sufficient again. Due to various family issues/history, I was absolutely against taking medication (which my doctor did offer me, immediately, having had only ONE panic attack...that alone disturbed me enough to make me want to go it alone). The self-help approach suited me as I'm quite studious and self-motivated, and am generally interested in psychology, so reading the book was fun as well as beneficial. If that sounds anything like you, you'd probably get on well with it.

(This is the book I used - there are lots on the market now though: http://www.amazon.com/Cognitive-Behavioral-Therapy-Teach-Yourself/dp/1444170295)

Anxiety, for most people, is not an incurable problem. Specific disorders can be, and some types of fear can be very hard to shake, but from what you describe, that isn't you. You're aware of what's happening, you've looked into your options, and you're being pro-active about it. Those are all really good things :) And, while giving yourself time to get better hasn't worked out how you wanted it to, it's also encouraging that you allowed yourself the time in the first place. A lot of people try to push themselves through anxiety to the point where they really get ill, but you've taken care of yourself. Aside from CBT, I think self-care, being kind to yourself, is one of the best things you can immediately do to help things - both physically and mentally. If not telling your mum allows you to do this more easily, then it's not essential to rock the boat right now. You might want to at another time, or maybe if you feel you need support.

One last thing - panic attacks are scary, but they can't actually hurt you. They are nothing you can't handle - you already have handled them, and are still standing. It feels like you're in danger, I know, but it's important not to fear having them. Being afraid of panic is basically being afraid of fear itself, and that gets you in a bit of a pickle. Creating a mantra can be helpful (mine is 'everything is temporary', but whatever calms you is fine). I also have a breathing exercise that I find easiest to do when panicking - it's basically to just make myself exhale for as long as I can. No counting, no concentration necessary, you just breathe out for longer than you breathe in. A doctor told me it breaks the cycle of hyperventilation. I hope that helps you :)

I've used Cognitive Behavioral Therapy tools to deal with chronic pain with great success. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: Teach Yourself is a great book with practical exercises. You don't have to do anything in order and it's easy to put down and pick up again when you need it. (no affiliation, just have the book and have used it for years.)

I do it nightly while I'm in bed waiting to go to sleep. I find body scan meditations to be VERY helpful. If you fall asleep before it finishes, not to worry. Here's a great one, but you can find TONS on youtube. Just search body scan meditation or meditation for anxiety: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4gZgnCy5ew

As for CBT, it's hard to describe here... but here's a great book: https://www.amazon.com/Cognitive-Behavioral-Therapy-Teach-Yourself/dp/1444170295

Basically, you retrain your brain. For instance... dog hears doorbell, dog barks. Retrain the dog to understand that doorbells aren't cause for panic and alarm, dog hears doorbell and doesn't react.

Your brain is the dog. It takes LOTS of practice and learning to have your inner voice speak kindly to/about yourself. Took me about three months of daily practice to really get my ducks back in a row.

I hope this helps! Feel free to ask more questions or to update me with how you're doing whenever :)

This book allowed me to improve my anxiety so much - I highly recommend it. The way the chapters are structured makes it really easy to learn and practice CBT yourself, and there are templates for worksheets.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cognitive-Behavioural-Therapy-Relationships-Self-Help/dp/1444170295/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421683414&sr=8-1&keywords=teach+yourself+cbt