Millions of people experience anxiety and depression each year—and many find support through therapy. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or just not like yourself, therapy offers tools to help you move forward with greater clarity and resilience.
In this post, I’ll dive into how three evidence-based approaches—Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Mindfulness—can support you in managing anxiety and depression.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Change How You Think to Change How You Feel
CBT is one of the most well-researched and widely used approaches for treating anxiety and depression. It’s based on a simple but powerful idea: our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are all connected.
If you struggle with depression, you might experience thoughts like:
“I’m a failure.”
“Nothing will ever get better.”
With anxiety, your mind might spiral with thoughts like:
“Something bad is going to happen.”
“I can’t handle this.”
CBT helps you:
Identify unhelpful or distorted thinking patterns. Challenge and reframe negative beliefs. Build healthier coping strategies and behavior patterns.
By learning to notice and shift your thinking, CBT gives you practical tools to feel more in control of your mood and reactions.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Make Space for Your Emotions
While CBT focuses on changing thoughts, ACT takes a different approach: it teaches you how to relate to your thoughts and emotions differently—with acceptance, not avoidance.
Rather than trying to eliminate difficult feelings, ACT helps you:
Accept emotional discomfort instead of fighting it.
Identify your values—what really matters to you.
Commit to actions that align with your values, even when it’s hard.
This approach is especially helpful when anxiety and depression lead to avoidance, numbness, or paralysis. ACT gently guides you to take small, meaningful steps toward the life you want—while building resilience and psychological flexibility along the way.
Mindfulness: Come Back to the Present Moment
Mindfulness is a foundational practice in both CBT and ACT, but it also stands alone as a powerful tool for managing anxiety and depression.
When you’re anxious, your mind often races into the future. When you’re depressed, it can get stuck in the past. Mindfulness helps you:
Bring awareness to the present moment.
Notice your thoughts and feelings without judgment.
Slow down and respond to stress more calmly.
Mindfulness practices might include:
Guided meditation or breathwork.
Grounding exercises (like the 5-4-3-2-1 technique).
Mindful movement (like walking or stretching).
Even a few minutes a day can help calm your nervous system and create space for more intentional choices.
Therapy Offers More Than Just Tools—It Offers Connection
While CBT, ACT, and mindfulness provide effective techniques, the relationship you build with your therapist is just as important. Therapy gives you a safe space to:
Be seen and heard without judgment. Explore your patterns with compassion. Learn skills that support both short-term relief and long-term growth.
Ready to Take the First Step?
Whether you’re navigating anxiety, depression, or both, therapy can help you find relief, rediscover hope, and reconnect with what matters most.