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Best Workbooks for Conquering Anxiety and Phobia

Reviewed by Aaron Horn, LMFT · December 02, 2020 ·

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health conditions. Forty million individuals over the age of 18 in the United States have an anxiety disorder. That’s about 18.1% of the United States adult population. There are several different types of anxiety disorders, including specific phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and more. 

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Popular Anxiety Workbooks

Here are some popular and highly rated anxiety workbooks to choose from:

“Anxiety & Phobia Workbook” by Edmund J. Bourne, Ph.D. This is an extremely popular anxiety workbook with over 1 million copies in print. It may benefit those with generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, specific phobias, and other similar concerns.

“The Anxiety and Worry Workbook: The Cognitive Behavioral Solution” by David A. Clark and Aaron T. Beck. This workbook includes cognitive behavioral therapy techniques and skills that can be beneficial for people with various conditions or concerns related to anxiety.

“The Anxiety Skills Workbook: Simple CBT and Mindfulness Strategies for Overcoming Anxiety, Fear, and Worry” by Stefan G Hofmann. This is an easily digestible workbook of anxiety skills, cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, and mindfulness strategies.

“The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Anxiety: Breaking Free from Worry, Panic, PTSD, and Other Anxiety Symptoms” by Alexander L. Chapman, Kim L. Gratz, and Matthew T Tull. DBT or dialectical behavioral therapy is a popular form of treatment derived from cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT and is considered a CBT form. This workbook includes DBT skills that can help people with anxiety and similar concerns.

“The Agoraphobia Workbook: A Comprehensive Program to End Your Fear of Symptom Attacks” by C. Alec Pollard and Elke Zuercher-White. This workbook is created with agoraphobia specifically in mind.

“The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook” by Martha Davis, Elizabeth Robbins, and Eshelman Matthew McKay. Prolonged stress has several medical and mental health detriments, and stress can increase anxiety symptoms. Stress management is often part of anxiety management, so this book can help those living with anxiety disorders.

“The Perfectionism Workbook: Proven Strategies to End Procrastination, Accept Yourself, and Achieve Your Goals” by Taylor Newendorp. Many people with anxiety struggle with perfectionism. Though this is not always the case, this book may be beneficial to you if it is something that you face.

Anxiety Workbooks For Teens

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Anxiety disorders impact people of all ages. Here are some anxiety workbooks created specifically for kids and teens:

“Mindfulness for Teen Anxiety: A Workbook for Overcoming Anxiety at Home, at School, and Everywhere Else” by Christopher Willard. Mindfulness is a skill that is commonly used and taught in counseling or therapy. Nowadays, there are even mindfulness apps that can help you learn and apply mindfulness as a skill. This book is an excellent fit for teenagers with anxiety who may benefit from mindfulness techniques.

“The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Teen Anxiety: Activities to Help You Overcome Fears and Worries Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy” by Sheri L. Turrell, Christopher McCurry, and Mary Bell. Acceptance and commitment therapy or ACT is a form of therapy that uses acceptance and mindfulness as tools. This workbook is an easily digestible workbook for teens who may benefit from learning acceptance and commitment therapy skills or techniques.

“The Self-Compassion Workbook for Teens: Mindfulness and Compassion Skills to Overcome Self-Criticism and Embrace Who You Are” by Karen Bluth. Many people struggle with self-compassion and have a tendency to criticize themselves. Teenagers with anxiety can be particularly susceptible to perfectionism and self-critical thoughts, and this workbook can help.

“The Anxiety Workbook For Teens: Activities to Help You Deal with Anxiety and Worry” by Lisa M Schab, LCSW. This workbook is designed specifically for teenagers. The workbook activities are easy to apply, making it a great fit for teens who struggle with anxiety or worry.

Books On Anxiety

Here are some other books on the anxiety that may be advantageous to you.

“Rewire Your Anxious Brain: How to Use the Neuroscience of Fear to End Anxiety, Panic, and Worry” by Catherine M. Pittman and Elizabeth M. Karle. This book can help you both understand anxiety better and help you with managing anxiety.

“Pocket Therapy for Anxiety: Quick CBT Skills to Find Calm” by Edmund Bourne and Lorna Garano. This is a relatively new book, but it is an excellent choice for anyone who wants fast therapeutic skills to use on the go or whenever anxiety hits.

“Essential Art Therapy Exercises: Effective Techniques to Manage Anxiety, Depression, and PTSD”  by Leah Guzman ATR-BC. Art therapy is a form of therapy that can be used for diverse mental health conditions and mental health concerns. If you’re interested in learning about art therapy exercises that can be used for anxiety and other conditions, consider picking up this high-rated book.

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What Are The Best Books For Anxiety?

The best books for anxiety will depend on you. Some workbooks are very popular, and they have helped a lot of people. However, your favorite may not be among those books. When it comes to anxiety or any other mental health conditions, even if someone has the same disorder, it will manifest differently for everyone. No two people are the same. What will work for you depends on several factors, including the kind of anxiety disorder you have, your personality or temperament, your preferences, and possibly even your anxiety triggers. Don’t be afraid to pick up a couple of different workbooks to try. That way you can gain multiple skills from different books and have a toolkit of techniques to use for anxiety.

Where Can I Find These Books?

All of the books in this article can be purchased online through several retailers. If you choose to buy them in person, you will generally be able to locate them in the psychology or self-help section of your local bookstore. If a book is not in stock or if your bookstore of choice does not carry the anxiety workbook you want, you can talk to an employee and see if they can have a copy shipped to the store for you to pick up. Additionally, for those who cannot purchase these workbooks due to financial restrictions, there are sometimes downloadable PDFs of anxiety workbooks or worksheets that you can find online for free.

Getting Help For Anxiety

As mentioned above, anxiety disorders are the most common mental health conditions, but less than half of people with anxiety disorders receive treatment. In fact, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America or AADA, only 36.9% of those living with an anxiety disorder get the treatment that they need. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. Anxiety disorders are highly treatable mental health conditions, and support is out there.

One of the most common forms of treatment for most anxiety disorders is cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT, a short-term, non-invasive form of talk therapy that helps you challenge cognitive distortions and reframe your thoughts. Acceptance and commitment therapy or ACT is another popular form of treatment for anxiety and other conditions. You will notice that many of the workbooks included in this list feature skills used and learned in these forms of therapy, and that is why. For all information regarding specific treatments and therapies, please consult a medical or mental health professional.  

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Some people with anxiety choose to see a psychiatrist in conjunction with a therapist or counselor, though that is not always the case. Additionally, there are many support groups, both online and in-person, and online support forums for anxiety disorders that can be advantageous to those living with anxiety. No matter what you choose to do in the forms of treatment and support, know that you are not alone if you live with an anxiety disorder and that it is possible to improve your symptoms and live a full life with an anxiety disorder.

Take The Mind Diagnostics Anxiety Test

Are you wondering if you might have an anxiety disorder? If so, consider taking the Mind Diagnostics anxiety test. The Mind Diagnostics anxiety test is not a replacement for an evaluation or diagnosis from a medical or mental health professional. Still, it can help you begin recognizing your symptoms, and taking the test might just be the first step to getting the help you need. Although anxiety disorders impact people of all ages, the Mind Diagnostics anxiety test is for those aged 18 and above. Your results will be sent via email directly after taking the test.

Click here to take the Mind Diagnostics anxiety test.

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