Nearly 1 in 5 Americans have anxiety. So when my therapist said I was one of them, it wasn’t a surprise. As a recent cancer survivor, busy mom of five, and a journalist immersed in terrible global news, I’d heard that before. But I hadn’t learned that feeling unsafe and out of control are actually two of four ways people with anxiety get “stuck.” That part was new — a pattern to the chaos?Suddenly, the condition wasn’t just “anxious” versus “calm” — there were patterns and triggers I could understand. My therapist was referencing principles from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), schema therapy, and attachment theory, said Dr. Nicolette Natale, psychiatrist and chief marketing officer at Recovered.org in Bellmore, New York. For non-therapists, this means anxiety often stems from four common “cognitive distortions” or “core beliefs,” Natale explained. “Individuals who have generalised anxiety disorder may ruminate or get stuck on thoughts associated with fear/safety and lack of control, whereas someone with social anxiety may deal with more thoughts about self-worth or fear of judgment,” she said.“CBT suggests that our thoughts, feelings and behaviours are connected, and that certain ‘thinki
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