8 Cognitive-Behavioral Exercises for Stress Self-Help

Cognitive-behavioral exercises are therapeutic and preventive tools in psychotherapy that serve as cognitive methods of self-influence. The ultimate goal of these exercises is to reduce or completely eliminate destructive and inappropriate behaviors or discomfort.

Exercise #1: Overcoming Anxiety (Gestalt Therapy Technique)

1. Ask yourself and honestly answer these questions:
   • By worrying about the future, am I destroying my present?
   • Do I feel anxious because my problem is “huge and unsolvable,” or am I just procrastinating instead of solving it?
   • Is there something I can do right now about what’s making me anxious? For example, schedule a meeting, start an important conversation, make a plan, etc.
2. After answering, try to bring your worries into the present moment and experience them right now. You’ll notice it’s hard to feel anxious about what’s happening “here and now.”
3. Focus on your surroundings:
   • Pay attention to your senses—listen to sounds, notice smells, observe colors.
   • On a piece of paper, write: “I am aware that…” and list everything you notice.
4. Focus on your inner world:
   • Notice your heartbeat, breathing, skin, muscles, etc.
   • On the same paper, write: “I am aware that…” and describe your sensations.
   • Ask yourself: “Did I notice every part of my body?” If not, repeat this step until you do.

By doing this exercise, your anxiety will begin to subside as you shift your attention to something else. Next time you feel anxious, go through these four steps.

Exercise #2: Overcoming Fear (Ellis Technique)

• If your fear is based on irrational beliefs, try to laugh at your fear and at your fear of fear itself.
• For example, do you really need your family’s approval for a meal you cooked? If it was bad, they’d say so. If they eat in silence, they probably like it. Laugh at expecting approval where it’s not needed.
• Honestly share your fear with a trusted person and show your emotions.
• Find the root cause of your fear—an irrational belief about what “should” be—and replace it with a rational one.
• Observe your fears, admit they are minor, and challenge them. Gradually overcome them by finding the “right” beliefs.
• For example, if you’re afraid to show others you’re worried, realize there’s nothing shameful about others seeing your concern. Admit your fear of showing emotions is groundless. Remember, everyone has the right to emotions and feelings.

Exercise #3: Boosting Creative Activity (D. Scott’s Brainstorming)

1. Write down ideas and solutions to your problem without overthinking. This helps eliminate fears of failure and mental blocks that arise from overanalyzing.
2. Self-evaluate your solutions. Critically analyze and rate them on a scale from 2 (least reasonable) to 5 (most reasonable and correct).
3. Select the best solution. This could be a single option or a combination that leads to a positive outcome.

Exercise #4: Relieving Stress (K. Shriner’s Technique)

1. Notice your feelings during stress—maybe you’re sweating or tense with anticipation.
2. Intentionally intensify your tension. Ask yourself: “Why am I so tense? What’s the purpose?”
3. Ask: “What do I need to feel better?”
4. For 2-3 minutes, exaggerate your sensations—let yourself sweat or feel extreme tension. Just experience it and realize how much energy it takes.
5. Afterward, ask: “Do I need this tension? Is it good for me? Do I want to get rid of it?”
6. Recognize that your demands on yourself create feelings of despair.
7. Begin relaxation. Imagine your muscles are like soft dough or foam. Try to find a state of balance.
8. “Clear your mind” and do something constructive instead of wasting energy on useless tension.
9. Finally, consciously replace your demands with your preferences.

Exercise #5: Resolving Stressful Situations with the “Swish” Method (R. Bandler)

1. Stand or sit comfortably and close your eyes. Imagine holding a photo in each hand:
   • One hand: a photo of your problem or a negative situation—dark, blurry, unpleasant.
   • Other hand: a photo of a pleasant situation—bright, colorful, evoking positive emotions like joy, calm, or happiness.
2. With a quick motion, lower the negative photo out of sight and raise the positive one to eye level.
3. Do this whenever a stressful situation arises, repeating until the positive image fully replaces the negative one.

Exercise #6: Correcting Negative Behavior through Self-Analysis (D. Rayworter)

The key is to be a detached observer. Listen, focus, and become aware of your feelings, experience them, and remember them—without trying to change anything. Do this exercise alone, without distractions.

1. Focus on your physical body:
   • Notice your posture—how your legs, arms, head, and back are positioned.
   • Identify any pain or tension.
   • Pay attention to your breathing and heartbeat.
   • Tell yourself: “This is my body, but I am not my body.”
2. Focus on your feelings:
   • Notice your current emotions.
   • Separate the positive from the negative.
   • Tell yourself: “These are my feelings, but I am not my feelings.”
3. Focus on your desires:
   • List your current desires and aspirations, without prioritizing or judging them.
   • Tell yourself: “These are my desires, but I am not my desires.”
4. Focus on your thoughts:
   • Notice your current thought. Even if you think you have no thoughts, that’s a thought—observe it.
   • If you have many thoughts, observe how one replaces another. Don’t judge or analyze, just notice them.
   • Tell yourself: “These are my thoughts, but I am not my thoughts.”

This “self-correction” exercise, a psychosynthesis technique, helps you observe your body, feelings, desires, and thoughts from the outside.

Exercise #7: “Who Am I?” (T. Yeomans’ Technique)

This psychosynthesis exercise involves observing yourself from the outside. The goal is to develop self-awareness and discover your true self. Each person is like an onion, with layers hiding our true core. These layers can be masks we wear daily to hide feelings or traits we’re ashamed of, or even positive qualities we ignore. This exercise helps you gradually see your real self beneath all these layers. Make sure you’re not disturbed while doing it.

1. In a notebook, write the question “Who am I?” Note the time and write an honest answer, ignoring others’ opinions. Repeat this as often as you like, each time dating your answer.
2. Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and ask yourself the same question. Imagine the answer as an image. Don’t analyze or correct it—just notice the first image that comes to mind. Open your eyes and describe the image and your feelings about it.
3. Stand in the middle of the room, close your eyes, and ask yourself again. Notice any movements your body makes. Don’t control or correct them—just trust your body and remember the movements, as they are your body’s answer to the question.

Exercise #8: Self-Dialogue for Emergency Self-Help (M.E. Sandomirsky)

The main goal of this dialogue is to quickly relieve physical and emotional discomfort. Do this exercise alone, without distractions.

1. Close your eyes and imagine a mirror in front of you, with your reflection. Notice how you look during discomfort—your facial expression, posture, etc.
2. Focus on your physical sensations and identify where you feel discomfort.
3. Now, say to your reflection all the words you think will calm, encourage, or stop your obsessive anxiety, self-pity, or self-blame, and restore your self-respect. Put as much emotion and feeling into your words as needed.
4. Your imaginary “mirror” self will react. If your words are effective, your physical discomfort will subside. If not, repeat step 3. You can repeat this exercise as needed—the goal is to quiet your physical and emotional discomfort for immediate self-help.

In conclusion, there are many such psychotherapeutic exercises used by psychologists. They all share one goal: self-help. By practicing these exercises, you’ll learn to influence yourself, reduce or eliminate inappropriate behaviors, overcome anxiety or fear, relieve stress, boost creativity, and better understand yourself.