Dr. Trevor’s Anxiety Algorithm

Anxiety is the most commonly reported mental health issue — and the one most presented by clients attending my counselling. It can be debilitating and awful for people suffering chronic anxiety, and I am not about to tell you one simple device will solve everyone’s problems. This one device, however, might help people cope and feel a little better.

An algorithm is a device/structure you work through to come up with an answer — and this one is specifically for anxiety. First, what I want you to do is address the issue that is making you anxious. It may be serious, or it may be trivial.

For example:

• I may be thinking about a loved relative suffering with an illness — and I am both hoping for the best but fearing the worst.

• Or else I am just anxious about things which annoy me — e.g., whether I have put the bins out ready for emptying on time before I left the house this morning.

The algorithm does not ignore your anxiety — and simply telling yourself “just don’t think about it” is not such a great strategy! Thoughts come uninvited, and we cannot always simply push them away. You might, of course, distract yourself — but the thought/concern will inevitably return.

So Try This Instead…