A New Way to Think About AnxietY
Solving the Anxiety Equation takes the mystery out of what makes us anxious. It's a hands-on approach for getting to the root of our anxiety – then creating a step-by-step individualized plan for healing that anxiety.
Anxiety is the most common mental disorder in the U.S.
According to the ADAA (Anxiety & Depression Association of American), “Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only 36.9% of those suffering receive treatment.”
Left untreated, anxiety can make us sick physically. It can keep us up at night, cause difficulties at work, and interfere in relationships. Anxiety can keep us trapped and alone. Persistent social stigmas can make it feel like we’re suffering in silence.
“The 2024 results of the American Psychiatric Association’s annual mental health poll show that U.S. adults are feeling increasingly anxious. In 2024, 43% of adults say they feel more anxious than they did the previous year, up from 37% in 2023 and 32% in 2022. Adults are particularly anxious about current events (70%) — especially the economy (77%), the 2024 U.S. election (73%), and gun violence (69%).”
Source: https://www.psychiatry.org/News-room/News-Releases/Annual-Poll-Adults-Express-Increasing-Anxiousness May 1, 2024
As a three-time-cancer survivor, Wendy Leeds knows what it’s like to deal with anxiety personally. As a licensed psychotherapist (LMHC) she has experience helping herself and others heal from the effects of anxiety.
Wendy brings that unique perspective to her new book, Solving the Anxiety Equation: The Formula to Free Yourself from Fear.
Mixing personal stories of struggle and triumph with the latest research on the causes, impacts, and solutions to anxiety, Wendy offers an equation that offers an individualized path to recovery from anxiety for each and every reader.
Solving the Anxiety Equation isn’t about numbers.
It’s a way of describing anxiety that’s clear, concise, and easy to understand. It offers a holistic approach, with tools and techniques for dealing with anxious thoughts, negative beliefs, and physical symptoms of anxiety.
"Anxiety is learned... and can be unlearned."
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART ONE: Getting Started
1. Are You Anxious?
2. What’s Making Us Anxious?
3. The Anxiety Equation
PART TWO: Self Doubt
4. What is Self-Doubt?
5. What Causes Self Doubt?
6. Start Telling Your Story Differently
7. So, Who Do You Think You Are?
8. Who You Really Are
9. Talk About Your Story Differently
10. 5 Simple Phrases That Can Change Your Life
11.Letting Go of The Story of Your Past
12. Forgiving
13. Our Story About the Future
14. Act “As if…”
15. Telling the Hero’s Story
PART THREE: The Fear of Change
16. What is the Fear of Change?
17. What Causes the Fear of Change?
18. Giving Up the Need to Be in Charge of the Universe
19. Thought Swapping
20. What Do You Really Want?
21. How to Get What You Really Want
22. Travel Light: Clearing Out the Clutter
23. Birds That Flock Together: The Power of Our Relationships
24. How to Handle Catastrophic Change
25. The B.E.A.R. Technique to Stop or Prevent Panic Attacks
PART FOUR: Physical Anxiety
26. What is Physical Anxiety?
27. It’s the Vagus Baby
28. What Causes Physical Anxiety?
29. The Price We Pay For Physical Anxiety
30. Just Breathe
31. Meditation
32. Acupressure
33. Massage
34. A Body in Motion
35. Splash Some Cold Water On It
36. Music
37. Laughter
PART FIVE: Creating Your Personalized Plan for Healing Your Anxiety
38. Find Out What’s Really Causing Your Anxiety: The Quiz
39. Getting Started
40. Staying On Track
41. The Journey Ahead
Additional Resources
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Wendy Leeds
About
As a three-time cancer survivor, Wendy Leeds is an expert on what it’s like to live with anxiety. As an experienced, licensed psychotherapist, Wendy’s mission is to help anxious women learn to acknowledge and ease their anxieties.
Wendy is the creator and host of the podcast Anxiety Connection, a one-stop resource where anxious people everywhere can come together for a sense of connection, understanding, and to get the latest information on what causes anxiety and how to manage it.
In addition to using traditional approaches to treating anxiety, Wendy has developed a number of her own innovative, powerful anxiety-busting tools: The B.E.A.R. (Breathe Exhale Affirm Relax) Technique which can be used to head off a potential panic attack; the B.E.A.R. Hug which can stop a panic attack that is already in progress, and the Wrist Wrap can be used to ease anxiety in any situation.
Wendy’s work empowers women to create the calm, centered lives they were born to live. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Tom, and their dog, Myles Standish.
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