Beyond the Book
Throughout the book, there are worksheets that you may want to complete more than once. Go to www.dummies.com/go/anxiety&depressionworkbookfd2e to download them.
In addition, there’s a cheat sheet with tips and information about anxiety and depression. To access this online cheat sheet, go to www.dummies.com and then type “Anxiety& Depression Workbook For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the search box.
Where to Go from Here
Anxiety & Depression Workbook For Dummies can help you deal with your depression and anxiety. It’s pragmatic, concrete, and goes straight to the point. As such, this workbook doesn’t devote a lot of text to lengthy explanations or embellishments of basic concepts, so you may want to find out more about specific types of depression and anxiety, available medications, and alternative treatments elsewhere. For that purpose, consider reading one or both of the companion books: Depression For Dummies (Wiley) and Anxiety For Dummies (Wiley).
Part 1
Dissecting Distress and Preparing a Plan
IN THIS PART …
Understand the tolls of depression and anxiety
Take a look back at your history
Figure out if it’s time to change
Keep track of your moods
Chapter 1
Sorting Out Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression
IN THIS CHAPTER
For people all over the world, these past years of unrest, divisiveness, and fear and uncertainty related to the devastating pandemic have increased stress significantly. Stress often precedes the emergence of emotional disorders, especially anxiety and depression. In the United States, recent surveys suggest that about 40 percent of the adult population suffer from notable symptoms of anxiety or depression. The rates of anxiety and depression among adolescents have also risen dramatically due to disruptions in their lives during these tumultuous times.
Everyone feels sad or worried from time to time. Such emotions are both natural and unavoidable. People worry about their children, bills, aging parents, jobs, health, and powerful social issues. And most people have shed a tear or two watching a sad movie or a news story about a poignant tragedy. It’s perfectly natural to experience significant sadness when faced with loss, frustration, or pain. That’s normal. Anxiety and depression are part of everyday life.
But when sadness fills most of your days or worries saturate your mind, that’s not so normal. You may be experiencing a real problem with depression or anxiety. Anxiety and depression can affect how you think, behave, feel, and relate to others. The discussion and quizzes in this chapter help you figure out how depression and anxiety affect your life. When you understand what’s going on with your emotions, you can start doing something to manage them more effectively.
Dwelling on Negative Thoughts
If you were able to listen in on the thoughts that reverberate through a depressed person’s head, you might hear, “I’m a failure,” “My future looks bleak,” “Things just keep on getting worse,” or “I regret so many things in my life.”
On the other hand, the thoughts of an anxious person might sound like, “I’m going to make a fool out of myself when I give that speech,” “I never know what to say at parties,” “The freeway scares me to death,” “I know that the odds of a plane crash are small, but flying scares me,” or “I’m going to have a nervous breakdown if my editor doesn’t like what I write.”
Thoughts influence the way you feel. The very darkest thoughts usually lead to depression, whereas anxiety usually stems from thoughts about being judged or hurt. And, of course, people often have both types of thoughts.
Although
