CBT for anxiety - what to expect

[Seriouslymole]

My DS got diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in August last year. Since then I have become progressively more anxious, to the extent that I'm now feeling the need to sleep outside his room in case we miss an alarm and he drops into a hypo, goes into a coma and dies. That's basically the top and bottom of it. So, whilst it sounds dramatic, in the boundaries of T1, it could happen, rare, but it does very, very occasionally.

Recently, his numbers have been all over the shop due to illness and my anxiety has become very pronounced, plus work is very stressful (and I can't take time off - it's a time-limited project which will be over mid-march). I've realised I can deal with stressful diabetes or stressful work but the two combined are difficult.

I saw a counsellor last night for a 30 minute intro session and it really wasn't for me - she also said she would find it hard to work with me as I didn't have much to "give her" (couldn't really work out what she wanted and I can't suddenly produce long-hidden trauma). She suggested CBT - is that worth looking into? What should I expect? Or should I just see if I can get some anti-anxiety meds?

I had CBT for anxiety and it really helped me. I had a 12 week group therapy course led by a psychologist. I learnt how to distinguish between thoughts & feelings, how to identify the "hot thought" at the root of any anxiety/panic I was having and what to do about that thought. As I said, it has helped me a lot.

Thanks, that's useful to know. I will have a look into it.

I had CBT for anxiety as well. At the time I really didn't feel like it helped at all but about 18 months later, for some unknown reason, the fates aligned and everything the counsellor had tried to explain to me suddenly made sense. I would definitely recommend it & stick with it, even if you feel it's not helping as you're gaining valuable tools which you might be able to use down the line.

I also found Mel Robbins talking about how our brains lie to us was really helpful

The reason the counsellor said you had nothing to give her is she was probably a psychodynamic or person centered therapist. These therapists work to get to the root of what's causing the anxiety, this you already know.
CBT focuses in recognition of your own feelings and behaviours and turning negative thought patterns into positives. Its a very powerful tool and the results aren't always seen immediately