How Cognitive Therapy Works for Stress Relief

Negative thoughts can create more stress in our lives. Not only can “negative affect,” or being in a bad mood, color our experience so that many of the things we experience seem more stressful and even overwhelming, but our bad mood can be contagious. It can even cause others to treat us in a less friendly way, perpetuating negativity in us and, to a degree, virtually everyone we encounter.

It is easy to get trapped into the habit of thinking negatively, and changing those thought processes is a goal in cognitive therapy.

Cognitive therapy, which focuses on identifying and altering negative thoughts, has been found to be effective in the treatment of many issues, such asanxiety disorders,depression, and evensevere stress.Whether the stress is contributing tomood disordersor is just creating unpleasant feelings that are interfering with a happy lifestyle, cognitive therapy (or a mix of cognitive andbehavioral therapy) can be a very effective mode of treatment.

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The Idea Behind Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive therapy for stress rests on the premise that it’s not simply the events in our lives that cause us stress, it’s the way we think about them.

For example, two people may be caught in traffic. One person could view this situation as an opportunity tolisten to musicor get lost in thought and become (or remain) relaxed. Another person may focus on the wasted time or the feeling of being trapped, and become distressed.

There are hundreds of examples of how our thoughts and our negative self-talk color our experiences. These can lead to a triggeredstress response.

Virtually all of the thought patterns that negatively impact our experiences can be categorized into one of 10common cognitive distortions.Therapists using a cognitive approach work with clients to recognize and alter these habitually negative thought patterns. You can also work on some of them at home.

Cognitive Restructuring for Stress Relief

Using Cognitive Therapy for Stress Relief

Many people have found a cognitive approach to be wonderfully helpful and much quicker than other therapeutic approaches when it comes to stress relief.

There is no standard length or number of cognitive therapy sessions needed for the treatment of stress. It depends on what your needs are. After a few sessions, some people see improvement. Other people may need months of therapy before they feel better.

This is significantly faster than the years-on-the-couch rate ofpsychoanalytic therapy, which is what many people still think of when they think of “going to a shrink.” While psychoanalytic therapy focuses on your past and your unconscious responses to figure out the roots of your problems, cognitive therapy focuses on the here-and-now and how your responses to experiences or issues affect your day-to-day functioning.

Cognitive therapy has also been combined with the practice ofmindfulness, or practicing being aware of the current moment and your internal thoughts and feelings at that moment. This createdmindfulness-based cognitive therapy(MBCT), which has shown promising effects as well.

Giving It a Try

When interviewing potential therapists, ask about their experience with this approach. You can also search out someone who specializes in cognitive therapeutic interventions.

If you’re not interested in seeing a therapist at this point but would like to use some cognitive techniques to reduce your stress levels, you can begin at home. There are plenty of books, online courses, andCBT appsthat can help you learn to change your thinking patterns.

Get Help NowWe’ve tried, tested, and written unbiased reviews of thebest online therapy programsincluding Talkspace, BetterHelp, and ReGain. Find out which option is the best for you.

Get Help Now

We’ve tried, tested, and written unbiased reviews of thebest online therapy programsincluding Talkspace, BetterHelp, and ReGain. Find out which option is the best for you.

A Word From Verywell

How Positive Thinking Impacts Stress

4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hofmann SG, Asmundson GJ, Beck AT.The science of cognitive therapy.Behav Ther. 2013;44(2):199-212. doi:10.1016/j.beth.2009.01.007National Center for Biotechnology Information.Cognitive behavioral therapy.Chand SP, Kuckel DP, Huecker MR.Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing; 2020.Lackner RJ, Moore MT, Minerovic J, Fresco DM.Explanatory flexibility and explanatory style in treatment-seeking clients with Axis I psychopathology.Cognit Ther Res. 2015;39(6):736-743. doi:10.1007/s10608-015-9702-8Additional ReadingFava GA, Ruini C, Rafanelli C, Finos L, Conti S, Grandi S.Six-year outcome of cognitive behavior therapy for prevention of recurrent depression.Am J Psychiatry.2004;161(10):1872-6. doi:10.1176/ajp.161.10.1872Kubany ES, Hill EE, Owens JA, et al.Cognitive trauma therapy for battered women with PTSD (CTT-BW).J Consult Clin Psychol. 2004;72(1):3-18. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.72.1.3Van Rhenen W, Blonk RW, van der Klink JJ, van Dijk FJ, Schaufeli WB.The effect of a cognitive and a physical stress-reducing programme on psychological complaints.Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2005;78(2):139-48. doi:10.1007/s00420-004-0566-6

4 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hofmann SG, Asmundson GJ, Beck AT.The science of cognitive therapy.Behav Ther. 2013;44(2):199-212. doi:10.1016/j.beth.2009.01.007National Center for Biotechnology Information.Cognitive behavioral therapy.Chand SP, Kuckel DP, Huecker MR.Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing; 2020.Lackner RJ, Moore MT, Minerovic J, Fresco DM.Explanatory flexibility and explanatory style in treatment-seeking clients with Axis I psychopathology.Cognit Ther Res. 2015;39(6):736-743. doi:10.1007/s10608-015-9702-8Additional ReadingFava GA, Ruini C, Rafanelli C, Finos L, Conti S, Grandi S.Six-year outcome of cognitive behavior therapy for prevention of recurrent depression.Am J Psychiatry.2004;161(10):1872-6. doi:10.1176/ajp.161.10.1872Kubany ES, Hill EE, Owens JA, et al.Cognitive trauma therapy for battered women with PTSD (CTT-BW).J Consult Clin Psychol. 2004;72(1):3-18. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.72.1.3Van Rhenen W, Blonk RW, van der Klink JJ, van Dijk FJ, Schaufeli WB.The effect of a cognitive and a physical stress-reducing programme on psychological complaints.Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2005;78(2):139-48. doi:10.1007/s00420-004-0566-6

Hofmann SG, Asmundson GJ, Beck AT.The science of cognitive therapy.Behav Ther. 2013;44(2):199-212. doi:10.1016/j.beth.2009.01.007National Center for Biotechnology Information.Cognitive behavioral therapy.Chand SP, Kuckel DP, Huecker MR.Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing; 2020.Lackner RJ, Moore MT, Minerovic J, Fresco DM.Explanatory flexibility and explanatory style in treatment-seeking clients with Axis I psychopathology.Cognit Ther Res. 2015;39(6):736-743. doi:10.1007/s10608-015-9702-8

Hofmann SG, Asmundson GJ, Beck AT.The science of cognitive therapy.Behav Ther. 2013;44(2):199-212. doi:10.1016/j.beth.2009.01.007

National Center for Biotechnology Information.Cognitive behavioral therapy.

Chand SP, Kuckel DP, Huecker MR.Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing; 2020.

Lackner RJ, Moore MT, Minerovic J, Fresco DM.Explanatory flexibility and explanatory style in treatment-seeking clients with Axis I psychopathology.Cognit Ther Res. 2015;39(6):736-743. doi:10.1007/s10608-015-9702-8

Fava GA, Ruini C, Rafanelli C, Finos L, Conti S, Grandi S.Six-year outcome of cognitive behavior therapy for prevention of recurrent depression.Am J Psychiatry.2004;161(10):1872-6. doi:10.1176/ajp.161.10.1872Kubany ES, Hill EE, Owens JA, et al.Cognitive trauma therapy for battered women with PTSD (CTT-BW).J Consult Clin Psychol. 2004;72(1):3-18. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.72.1.3Van Rhenen W, Blonk RW, van der Klink JJ, van Dijk FJ, Schaufeli WB.The effect of a cognitive and a physical stress-reducing programme on psychological complaints.Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2005;78(2):139-48. doi:10.1007/s00420-004-0566-6

Kubany ES, Hill EE, Owens JA, et al.Cognitive trauma therapy for battered women with PTSD (CTT-BW).J Consult Clin Psychol. 2004;72(1):3-18. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.72.1.3

Van Rhenen W, Blonk RW, van der Klink JJ, van Dijk FJ, Schaufeli WB.The effect of a cognitive and a physical stress-reducing programme on psychological complaints.Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2005;78(2):139-48. doi:10.1007/s00420-004-0566-6

Hannah Owens, LMSW

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The Idea Behind Cognitive Therapy#

Using Cognitive Therapy for Stress Relief#

Giving It a Try#

Get Help Now#

A Word From Verywell#

The Idea Behind Cognitive Therapy

Using Cognitive Therapy for Stress Relief

Giving It a Try

Get Help Now

A Word From Verywell