The Comprehensive Coping Inventory (CCI) is here in the appendix so it can be easily reproduced. The CCI was used in chapter 2 to assess your use of four maladaptive coping mechanisms:
Each of the four subscales of the CCI targets one of the four causes and maintaining factors of anxiety. You are encouraged to take the inventory several times during this treatment program so you can recognize progress, as well as what still needs work.
The items in this inventory are different ways of dealing with problems. As you complete this inventory, think about difficult or stressful events in your life. Do your best to rate each item in terms of how frequently you use it. There are no right or wrong answers, so choose the most accurate answer for you, not what you think is most acceptable, or what most people would say or do.
Rate each item on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 means you don’t use that strategy at all, and 5 means you use it a great deal.
1.1 I try to stay away from things that make me anxious or uncomfortable rather than face them.
1.2 I worry about all the bad things that could happen in the future.
1.3 When I get upset by a situation, my negative thoughts often don’t turn out to be completely true.
1.4 I don’t believe I can cope with situations in which I feel anxious or fearful.
2.1 I tend to avoid situations, people, places, or things that make me feel anxious or upset.
2.2 I tend to focus on all the negative outcomes that might result from a decision.
2.3 I tend to assume things will be worse—more painful and scary—than they turn out to be.
2.4 I doubt my ability to face situations that trigger anxiety.
3.1 If I feel anxious and uncomfortable I avoid situations altogether—even though I wish I didn’t have to.
3.2 Whenever there’s a problem, I tend to dwell on the worst things that could happen.
3.3 When the situations are especially upsetting to me, I tend to have a string of thoughts about myself or others that feel true at the time, but often aren’t.
3.4 I don’t know how to cope with anxious feelings or situations in which I am fearful.
4.1 There are situations or things that make me anxious, and I try to avoid them.
4.2 I find that I tend to overthink bad scenarios that could happen.
4.3 I easily jump to conclusions when I’m upset by something—and my conclusions aren’t really accurate.
4.4 I feel distressed by fear or anxiety in a way that seems too big to cope with.
5.1 I try to avoid things I feel I must do to protect myself from feeling too anxious.
5.2 My problems trigger a lot of thinking about all the bad directions things could take.
5.3 In difficult situations I can have one negative thought after another that makes things seem worse than they really are.
5.4 I don’t feel strong enough to face fear-inducing situations.
You might feel overwhelmed by the number of items that were relevant for you. The good news is that you are bringing awareness to the coping behaviors that are reinforcing your anxiety. This is where the change starts to happen.
Let’s look at what’s significant for you.
1.1, 2.1, 3.1, 4.1, and 5.1 are statements that apply to avoidance of the things that make you feel anxious. These can be people, places, situations, things, or internal sensations that you tend to avoid.
1.2, 2.2, 3.2, 4.2, and 5.2 are statements that apply to worry/rumination, extended worrying about future dangers or threats and making negative predictions about the future that get in the way of creating solutions to problems.
1.3, 2.3, 3.3, 4.3, and 5.3 are statements that apply to cognitive misappraisal, evaluating a situation, object, sensation, or person as dangerous when it isn’t.
1.4, 2.4, 3.4, 4.4, and 5.4 are statements that apply to distress intolerance, the belief that you can’t stand certain experiences and the emotions they trigger.