5 CBT Techniques You Can Start Using Today

Are you ready? Choose one technique from the options below. Just one. You don’t need to master all five this week. Simply start small and build from there.

1. Deep Breathing (Diaphragmatic Breathing)

When anxiety hits, your breathing changes. You start taking short, shallow breaths from your chest, and this sends a signal to your brain: Danger. Something’s wrong. Deep belly breathing does the opposite; it activates your parasympathetic nervous system, your body’s built-in “calm down” system.

How to do it:

Find a quiet spot and sit or lie down comfortably. Place one hand on your chest, one on your belly. Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of 4. Your belly should rise, not your chest. Hold for 2 counts, then exhale slowly through your mouth for 6 counts. The exhale is longer than the inhale, and that’s key. Repeat for 5-10 minutes.

Why it works:

Slow, deep breathing physically changes your body chemistry. It tells your nervous system, “We’re safe. Stand down.” Your heart rate slows, your muscles relax, and the panic starts to ease. One client does this in their car before walking into work—three minutes, that’s it. It changes their whole morning.

What to look for:

Use this when you notice the early signs of anxiety—tightness in your chest, racing thoughts, feeling on edge. Don’t wait until you’re in complete panic mode. Catch it early.

2. Cognitive Restructuring (Challenging Anxious Thoughts)

Your anxious brain loves to catastrophise. It jumps to the worst-case scenario every single time. “I’ll fail this presentation.” “They think I’m incompetent.” “Something terrible is going to happen.” Here’s the problem: Your brain treats these thoughts like facts. They’re not. They’re predictions. Guesses. Often wildly inaccurate ones.

Cognitive restructuring is a fancy term for fact-checking your anxiety. When an anxious thought pops up, write it down. Get it out of your head and onto paper. Then ask yourself these questions:

1. What’s the evidence for this thought?
2. What’s the evidence against it?
3. What would I tell a friend who had this thought?
4. What’s a more balanced way to think about this?

Example:

Anxious thought: “Everyone at this meeting will judge me and think I’m incompetent.”

Fact-check: Evidence for: I feel nervous and might stumble over words. Evidence against: I’ve been to hundreds of meetings. Most people are focused on their own stuff, not judging me. Last time I was nervous, no one even noticed. Balanced thought: “I might feel anxious, but I’ve handled meetings before. Most people probably won’t even notice my nerves, and even if they do, that’s okay.”

This isn’t about pretending everything’s fine. It’s about getting out of the all-or-nothing thinking trap and finding the middle ground between “disaster” and “perfect.” One client told me she used to spend an hour lying in bed at night, running through every possible disaster for the next day. Now she writes down the thought, fact-checks it, and usually realises it’s her anxiety talking… not reality.

3. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

Anxiety doesn’t just live in your mind; it lives in your body. Tight shoulders. Clenched jaw. Fists balled up without even realising it. Your body holds tension, which feeds back into your anxious thoughts. Progressive Muscle Relaxation breaks that cycle.

How to do it:

Find a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down. Starting with your toes, tense the muscles as tightly as you can for 5 seconds, then release. Notice the difference between tension and relaxation. Work your way up: feet, calves, thighs, stomach, chest, hands, arms, shoulders, neck, face. The whole process takes about 10-15 minutes.

Why it works:

By intentionally tensing and then releasing, you teach your body what relaxation actually feels like. Most of us walk around tense all day without even realising it. (Check your shoulders right now—I bet they’re up by your ears.) PMR gives your nervous system a clear signal: “We can let go now.”

What to look for:

This works exceptionally well if you carry anxiety physically—headaches, back pain, stomach issues, and constant muscle tension. Try it before bed if racing thoughts keep you awake. Your body relaxes, your mind follows.

4. Exposure Therapy (Gradual Facing of Fears)

Here’s the counterintuitive part: the thing you’re avoiding to feel safe is actually what’s keeping you anxious. Avoidance feels like relief in the moment, but in the long term, it trains your brain to believe the feared thing is actually dangerous. Exposure therapy flips that script. You gradually, safely face the situations that trigger anxiety—and teach your brain a new truth: “I can handle this.”

How to do it:

First, make a fear hierarchy. List situations that make you anxious, from least scary to most scary, and rate them 0-10 (0 = no anxiety, 10 = panic attack level). Then start at the bottom—pick something that’s a 3 or 4 out of 10. Face it. Repeatedly. Stay in the situation until your anxiety naturally starts to decrease (it will—anxiety can’t stay at peak levels forever, it always comes down). Once that situation feels manageable, move up to the next level.

Example hierarchy for social anxiety:

1. (3/10) Send a text to a friend
2. (4/10) Make small talk with a cashier
3. (5/10) Call to make a doctor’s appointment
4. (6/10) Attend a small gathering with close friends
5. (7/10) Go to a work lunch with colleagues
6. (8/10) Speak up in a meeting
7. (9/10) Give a presentation to the team

Why it works:

Every time you face a fear and nothing catastrophic happens, your brain updates its threat database. It learns: “Oh, that wasn’t actually dangerous.” Over time, the amygdala calms down, and the fear response weakens. One client I worked with avoided parent-teacher nights for years because their anxiety convinced them everyone would see them as a failure.

They started small, just walking into the school building for five minutes. Then staying for ten. Eventually, they attended the whole evening, and you know what happened? Nothing. No judgment. No disaster. Just a regular school event. Their anxiety had been lying to them the whole time.

Important note:

Start small. Don’t jump straight to your biggest fear—that’s overwhelming and can backfire. And if you have severe anxiety or specific phobias (like panic disorder or PTSD), work with a therapist for exposure. They can guide you through it safely.

5. Behavioural Activation (Doing the Opposite of What Anxiety Wants)

Anxiety wants you to stay small. Cancel plans. Stay home. Avoid anything that feels uncertain. Behavioural activation is simple: You do the opposite. Not recklessly, but intentionally.

How to do it:

Notice what anxiety is telling you to avoid, then ask: “Is this actually dangerous, or is it just uncomfortable?” If it’s just uncomfortable (not dangerous), do it anyway.

Examples:

• Anxiety says, “Don’t go to that party. You’ll embarrass yourself.” You do: Go for 30 minutes. Leave if you need to, but show up.
• Anxiety says, “Don’t apply for that job. You’re not qualified enough.” You do: Apply anyway. Let them decide if you’re qualified.
• Anxiety says, “Stay in bed. The world is too overwhelming today.” You do: Get up. Shower. Take a 10-minute walk.

Why it works:

Action creates evidence. When you do the thing anxiety says you can’t… and survive… your brain learns. Plus, staying active boosts your mood, movement, and social connection, and accomplishing small tasks all combat anxiety at a neurological level. They tell your brain: “We’re functional. We’re capable. We’re okay.”

One client said they started saying yes to one thing per week that anxiety said no to. Coffee with a friend. A work presentation. Driving on the highway. Small steps, but they added up. Six months later, they looked back and realised their world had gotten bigger again.