MODIFY UNHELPFUL OR DYSFUNCTIONAL THOUGHTS
The most common automatic thoughts that accompany a downswing are negative thoughts about yourself , your world and your future ( sometimes called negative cognitive trial ) which is associated with depressed mood , although the negative prediction about the future are also associated with anxiety . Irritability is also a prominent emotion in highs and lows , particularly in response to perceived criticism of what you do . Negative mood states can be alleviated temporarily by distracting yourself from the thoughts . However , to achieve lasting reduction in your depression and anxiety , it helps to be able to recognize and record , review and respond to your unhelpful automatic thoughts.
RECOGNIZE AND RECORD AUTOMATIC THOUGHTS
it is not easy to identify thoughts immediately as they run through your mind , and it will take some practice .The two key elements that will help are to note down exactly what you were doing when you noticed that your mood changed, then to record how depressed or anxious you felt on 0 - 100 scale . it is difficult to to describe what your where doing throughout the day , what thoughts where gong inside your mind . try closing your eyes and recreating the scene in your imagination . Ask yourself the following questions :
- what thoughts , memories , images do I have ?
-What thoughts do I have about other people ?
-What thoughts am I predicting they have about me ?
-What do any of these thoughts say about me or my situation ? And about other people
- If it were true, what does this idea mean about me ? Or about others ?
-What am I afraid of right now ?what bad events or outcomes am I predicting
Now fr this list try identifying what are the useless thoughts that go through your mind rate them from 0- 100 . after rating pause and remind yourself that just because this is the first idea that came into your mind or the one you believe the most .before moving to explore your thoughts it is helpful to make sure they accurately reflect your immediate reaction to the situation . you may be tempted to be tone down a statement to make it less painful . unfortunately , techniques for modifying dysfunctional thoughts are probably more effective if you deal with raw rather than the polite version . for example " i am bad {or " i am no good " are clear negative automatic thoughts that would make you feel down , whereas " i began to think i wasn't very nice " or " i thought i did not do that very well " do not convey the reality of thoughts or depth of feeling .
REVIEW YOUR AUTOMATIC THOUGHTS
Try selecting the one that you believe most strongly , or the most extreme idea , and then review it is detail by working through the following stages . EXAMINE THE EVIDENCE : Stick with factual evidence , not feelings , intuition , or hearsay . Next , write down all the evidence that does not support your automatic thoughts . To get started note anything that contradicts your thoughts , no matter how small . if you are still struggling , think about what you would say to someone else if they asked for your views of the evidence for and against the idea . You could also think whether you have any past experience that support or refute your idea . having collected evidence for and against your automatic thought, is there any room for doubt that it is right ? if you are still not sure , identify any additional source that will help you reach a conclusion ? what could you experiment to test out the idea yourself ?
THE ALTERNATIVES
Questions that may include :
- what other views could i take of the situation ?
- would i view the situation differently if I felt better ?
- have I any experience of similar situation ?
- what might someone else think in this situation , particularly someone who is not depressed ?
ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES
Question to yourself like :
- Are there any advantages to holding this views ? Are there any disadvantages ?
-Can I identify any particular pattern of thinking errors , e.g. overgeneralize
- Am I talking all the responsibility for a situation ? Can I take more balanced view , where I take some but not all of the responsibility for what has occurred ?
- Finally , if my original idea an accurate reflection of the situation , what is the most constructive and helpful action I can take ?
RESPONDING TO YOUR AUTOMATIC THOUGHTS
- re - rate the intensity of your emotional response ? It is unlikely that your depression will have disappeared , but you may be able to rate your feeling less negatively . Finally review the outcome of working through this process . What have you learned ? Is there any other action you can now take to help your future in modifying this thought ?
- if there is no change in your mood state , consider whether there is any other powerful thoughts operating that you have not yet examined . If so . it is worth rating the process , targeting the new thoughts.
-lastly , it is important to use these cognitive techniques alongside the practical techniques outlined in the previous section . The combination is likely to improve your mod state more than either approach alone .
The most common automatic thoughts that accompany a downswing are negative thoughts about yourself , your world and your future ( sometimes called negative cognitive trial ) which is associated with depressed mood , although the negative prediction about the future are also associated with anxiety . Irritability is also a prominent emotion in highs and lows , particularly in response to perceived criticism of what you do . Negative mood states can be alleviated temporarily by distracting yourself from the thoughts . However , to achieve lasting reduction in your depression and anxiety , it helps to be able to recognize and record , review and respond to your unhelpful automatic thoughts.
RECOGNIZE AND RECORD AUTOMATIC THOUGHTS
it is not easy to identify thoughts immediately as they run through your mind , and it will take some practice .The two key elements that will help are to note down exactly what you were doing when you noticed that your mood changed, then to record how depressed or anxious you felt on 0 - 100 scale . it is difficult to to describe what your where doing throughout the day , what thoughts where gong inside your mind . try closing your eyes and recreating the scene in your imagination . Ask yourself the following questions :
- what thoughts , memories , images do I have ?
-What thoughts do I have about other people ?
-What thoughts am I predicting they have about me ?
-What do any of these thoughts say about me or my situation ? And about other people
- If it were true, what does this idea mean about me ? Or about others ?
-What am I afraid of right now ?what bad events or outcomes am I predicting
Now fr this list try identifying what are the useless thoughts that go through your mind rate them from 0- 100 . after rating pause and remind yourself that just because this is the first idea that came into your mind or the one you believe the most .before moving to explore your thoughts it is helpful to make sure they accurately reflect your immediate reaction to the situation . you may be tempted to be tone down a statement to make it less painful . unfortunately , techniques for modifying dysfunctional thoughts are probably more effective if you deal with raw rather than the polite version . for example " i am bad {or " i am no good " are clear negative automatic thoughts that would make you feel down , whereas " i began to think i wasn't very nice " or " i thought i did not do that very well " do not convey the reality of thoughts or depth of feeling .
REVIEW YOUR AUTOMATIC THOUGHTS
Try selecting the one that you believe most strongly , or the most extreme idea , and then review it is detail by working through the following stages . EXAMINE THE EVIDENCE : Stick with factual evidence , not feelings , intuition , or hearsay . Next , write down all the evidence that does not support your automatic thoughts . To get started note anything that contradicts your thoughts , no matter how small . if you are still struggling , think about what you would say to someone else if they asked for your views of the evidence for and against the idea . You could also think whether you have any past experience that support or refute your idea . having collected evidence for and against your automatic thought, is there any room for doubt that it is right ? if you are still not sure , identify any additional source that will help you reach a conclusion ? what could you experiment to test out the idea yourself ?
THE ALTERNATIVES
Questions that may include :
- what other views could i take of the situation ?
- would i view the situation differently if I felt better ?
- have I any experience of similar situation ?
- what might someone else think in this situation , particularly someone who is not depressed ?
ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES
Question to yourself like :
- Are there any advantages to holding this views ? Are there any disadvantages ?
-Can I identify any particular pattern of thinking errors , e.g. overgeneralize
- Am I talking all the responsibility for a situation ? Can I take more balanced view , where I take some but not all of the responsibility for what has occurred ?
- Finally , if my original idea an accurate reflection of the situation , what is the most constructive and helpful action I can take ?
RESPONDING TO YOUR AUTOMATIC THOUGHTS
- re - rate the intensity of your emotional response ? It is unlikely that your depression will have disappeared , but you may be able to rate your feeling less negatively . Finally review the outcome of working through this process . What have you learned ? Is there any other action you can now take to help your future in modifying this thought ?
- if there is no change in your mood state , consider whether there is any other powerful thoughts operating that you have not yet examined . If so . it is worth rating the process , targeting the new thoughts.
-lastly , it is important to use these cognitive techniques alongside the practical techniques outlined in the previous section . The combination is likely to improve your mod state more than either approach alone .
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