Having a tracking of your thoughts help to identify and correct the negative thoughts. This would help us to identify cognitive distortions.
This technique works the nex way. You write situations in which different emotions are expressed.
You need to complete the next points:
- Situation: Describe the situation, what is happening, where I am, who is with me
- Thought: All the thoughts that are in my mind
- Emotion: sadness, anxiety, madness, shy, blame, etc.
- Behaviour: What was the reaction to this situation
- Consecuence: What happened after
- Alternative thought: Another way you can approach the situation in a more possitive way.
And example could be:
- Situation: All my friends have plans and I cannot meet tonight.
- Thought: I feel lonely. I dont have enought friends. I am not important for my friends.
- Emotion: Sadness, loneliness, frustration
- Behaviour: Stay in my house alone and sad thinking about the situation
- Alternative thought: Is normal that my friends are doing plans. This is a nice opportunity to connect with myself and work on things I like.
Template
- Situation:
- Thought:
- Emotion:
- Behaviour:
- Consecuence:
- Alternative thought: