Cognitive therapy for stress

Cognitive therapy can give you insight into the sources of your stress. It involves three main steps. In the first step, counselors help patients recognize any negative thoughts associated with the stressors. Examples of negative thoughts could include "That rotten teacher made the exam too hard" or "My headache is never going to go away."

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In the second step, the counselor helps the patient challenge beliefs about the thought. For instance, the counselor will help patients realize that all past headaches have gone away, so this one will, too.

The third and final step is to substitute positive thoughts for the negative ones and teach patients to distract themselves so that they think more pleasant thoughts. An example of a self-confidence-building statement might be, "I've had this type of headache before and I know how to handle it. I will beat this headache." Cognitive therapy teaches patients how to maintain a positive mood, a key to alleviating the negative effects of stress.