Thoughts.

Everyday what we think makes us feel things and do things.

Thoughts lead to feelings, which lead to actions.

THOUGHTS ACTIONS FEELINGS

The first task in CBT is to try to identify what thoughts are behind the feelings we feel. Every feeling has a thought behind it. If I am sad, there must be a reason behind it and therefore a thought behind it. It is necessary to teach clients to pause and think what is going through their mind before they felt in a particular way.

One aim of CBT is to recognize and then to challenge these thoughts.

The first step in overcoming negative thinking is to become aware of our thoughts and of their effects on us.

Negative thoughts make us feel bad – anxious, sad, depressed, hopeless, guilty and angry. Instead of being overwhelmed by these feelings, we can learn to use tools to do something about these. When our mood changes for the worse, we can look back and ask ourselves what was running through our mind at that moment; what were we thinking about? If we can stop ourselves being carried away by our feelings and ask ourselves instead what we are thinking, then we can become more aware of our negative thoughts. Then, over the course of a few days, we will become more sensitive to changes in our feelings and to the thoughts that spark them off. We may find that the same negative thoughts occur again and again.

There are various ways to challenge thoughts.