Short, practical CBT videos about anxiety, panic, phobias, OCD and everyday coping. Choose a topic or browse at your own pace.
22 videos
A pause can feel much longer when you are anxious. Notice the pressure to fill every silence.
A few seconds of silence can bring thoughts such as “They think I am boring” or “I need to say something”. Try listening to the other person rather than monitoring yourself. An ordinary pause does not need rescuing; you can let the conversation have some space.
Repeated symptom searches can turn brief reassurance into another question. Notice the checking loop.
This is about repeated anxiety-driven searching. Keep following medical advice and seek appropriate help for new symptoms.
You notice a sensation, search for an answer, feel reassured briefly and then find another reason to search. The video introduces noticing an anxiety-driven urge to check and pausing before acting on it. The focus is changing the checking pattern, rather than making every uncertain feeling disappear.
When thinking keeps circling the same question, ask whether it is helping you move forward.
Rumination is repetitive thinking that can feel like problem-solving without leading to a useful next step. Ask “Is this helping me move forward?” If not, gently return attention to what you were doing. The aim is to stop feeding the loop, rather than force a thought out of your mind.
Clock-watching can add pressure to sleep. A small change may help you step away from the countdown.
This is one general tip, not a full treatment for sleep difficulties. Persistent problems deserve an individual assessment.
Checking the time and repeatedly calculating how much sleep is left can add pressure when you are awake at night. The video suggests turning the clock away or putting the phone out of sight. The idea is to reduce the countdown, rather than give yourself another deadline for falling asleep.
Separate a body sensation from the frightening meaning your mind gives it.
Do not assume new, severe or unexplained symptoms are panic. Seek appropriate medical assessment and keep following clinical advice.
A racing heart, dizziness or changes in breathing can be interpreted as a sign that something terrible is happening. More fear can intensify the sensations. Ask what you are predicting and, with appropriate support, compare that prediction with what happened in previous panic episodes. You do not have to force every feeling away before learning a different response.
Discuss fainting and suitability with a clinician before practising.
An overview of applied tension when fainting is part of a needle or blood fear.
Discuss suitability with a qualified clinician before trying the technique. Follow staff advice during procedures. New or unexplained fainting needs medical assessment.
Some people experience a blood-pressure drop around blood or needles. Applied tension uses large muscle groups and a return to normal muscle tension; it is different from trying to relax completely. The video illustrates the sequence and reminds you to keep breathing normally. Tell healthcare staff about any fainting history and agree an individual plan.
Try two guided rounds of gentle box breathing, at your own pace.
Keep the breath gentle. Shorten or skip the pauses if holding your breath feels uncomfortable, and stop if you feel dizzy or more distressed.
Keep the breath gentle. Shorten or skip the pauses if holding your breath feels uncomfortable, and stop if you feel dizzy or more distressed.
How repeated body checking can bring brief relief while keeping your attention on symptoms.
Continue medical monitoring and follow-up advised by your clinician. Seek appropriate advice about new symptoms.
Checking your pulse, inspecting your body or searching symptoms can bring short-term reassurance. The doubt may return, prompting another check. Noticing the urge and practising a different response can help you step out of the cycle. This does not mean ignoring new symptoms or medical advice.
OCD can involve mental rituals and intrusive thoughts as well as visible checking.
OCD can involve intrusive thoughts about harm, relationships, religion, mistakes or responsibility. Compulsions can include mentally reviewing a situation, repeating words, checking feelings or trying to become certain. An unwanted thought is not the same as an intention. Assessment looks at the whole pattern and how it affects your life.
Why checking and reassurance can leave you looking for certainty again.
Exposure and response prevention is planned gradually, with appropriate therapeutic support.
A doubt can lead to checking, reassurance, repeating, avoidance or mental review. Brief relief is followed by another doubt. Notice the urge to become certain, practise leaving the question open, and return to what you were doing. ERP practice is gradual and can be supported by a therapist.
A short look at attention, physical sensations and checking during panic.
New or unexplained physical symptoms still need appropriate medical advice.
The aim is to make room for what you are doing, rather than repeatedly checking whether every anxious sensation has gone. New or unexplained physical symptoms still deserve appropriate medical advice.
A brief demonstration of a gentle breathing pattern, with space to try it comfortably.
Let your breathing return to its usual rhythm afterwards. Stop if you feel dizzy, uncomfortable or more breathless.
Breathe in through your nose, add a small second breath in, then let out one longer, gentle breath. The video demonstrates two rounds. There is no need to force the breath or match the timing exactly.
A difficult moment does not have to become a verdict on your whole day.
A difficult morning can be a difficult morning. It does not have to become a verdict on the rest of your day.
An example of planning gradual steps around a fear of spiders.
The steps and goal are individual. Handling a spider is an example, not something everyone needs to do.
The video illustrates a personal fear ladder, from a cartoon spider to seeing one from further away, then working towards an agreed goal. The steps are chosen together and built up gradually; there is no single ladder everyone must follow.
A short explanation of the STOPP steps for choosing your next response.
Pause. Take one comfortable breath. Notice your thoughts, feelings and body. Consider another way of seeing the situation. Then choose a response that will help you next.
Different worries can need different responses: a practical action or room for uncertainty.
A practical worry concerns a real problem you can act on: choose a manageable next step. A hypothetical worry concerns something that might happen, where more thinking may not produce certainty. Fear can be a response to a threat in the present. The aim is to choose a response that fits, rather than treat every worry as a problem to solve.
How repeatedly checking your anxiety can take your attention away from daily life.
You do not have to feel completely calm before taking a small step towards something that matters to you.
Why reassurance can help briefly, then leave you wanting to check again.
Continue medical monitoring and follow-up advised by your clinician. Seek appropriate advice about new symptoms.
Work on repeated checking alongside appropriate medical care. This is not a reason to ignore new symptoms or advice from a healthcare professional.
How the fear of another panic attack can begin to shape where you go and what you do.
This is the pattern we can explore together in CBT, with goals and a pace that fit you.
Bringing attention back to a conversation when you are busy checking how you look or sound.
The video explores checking your face, hands and words during conversations. It invites you to return attention to what the other person is saying and take part without aiming for a perfect response.
Habits such as rehearsing every sentence can make it harder to find out how you would cope.
For social anxiety, this might mean rehearsing every sentence or avoiding eye contact. We can explore your own pattern together, without asking you to change everything at once.
Why avoiding something can help briefly while keeping the fear going.
In therapy, we agree small, manageable steps and learn from what happens. You have a say in the pace.
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These videos offer general information and do not replace individual assessment or therapy. Read the main points beneath a video if you prefer text. You can pause, stop or use the player's full-screen controls whenever you want. For worksheets and guided-use information, visit the free CBT Resource Library.
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