Have you ever found yourself getting stuck in negative or unhelpful thoughts that leave you feeling anxious, depressed, or overwhelmed? If so, you're not alone! Our thoughts can have a powerful impact on our emotions and behaviour, and when we get caught up in negative thinking patterns, it can feel impossible to break free.

By using the principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, you can begin to:

• identify and challenge negative thought patterns
• develop more balanced and realistic ways of thinking
• feel more in control of your emotions
• become more resilient to life's challenges.

This CBT-based activity can be helpful for you if you’re looking to manage your thoughts and emotions more effectively. Whether you're dealing with anxiety, depression, stress, or just looking to improve your overall wellbeing, this activity can help you to gain a better understanding of the ways your thoughts influence your emotions and behaviours and learn how to take control of your thinking patterns.

'When I reframe the way I think about the situations, I can see it has a big impact on my life.'

The goal of the activity is to provide you with a practical tool you can use to challenge your negative thoughts and replace them with more positive, helpful thoughts.

There are three parts to the activity:

1. Self-reflection
2. Challenging your thoughts
3. Coming up with a balanced view

To do this activity, you’ll need a few minutes and space to write things down. This could be in an app on your phone or computer, in a journal, or simply on a scrap of paper.

Part 1: Self-Reflection

The first step in this activity is self-reflection. This involves identifying and acknowledging the negative or unhelpful thoughts that are causing you distress or difficulty. To do this, you can start by paying attention to your thoughts and noticing when they become negative or unhelpful.

Give this a try! Find a notebook to write in, or you can use notes on your phone or an app, such as Clarity - CBT Thought Diary available on iOS and Android, and make some notes as you go through this activity. Think of a situation where some challenging thoughts came up for you, and write down what the situation was, the thoughts you had, the feelings you experienced, and the way you responded.

Part 2: Challenging Your Thoughts

Once you've identified the negative or unhelpful thoughts, the next step is to challenge them. This involves examining the evidence for and against the thoughts and looking for more balanced and realistic ways of thinking. Ask yourself, "Is this thought based on fact or opinion? What evidence do I have to support or contradict it?".

Let’s revisit the situation where we received a rejection letter from the job we had applied for, and see how we might challenge what we were thinking.

By looking at the facts and considering alternative explanations, you may be able to reduce the intensity of your thoughts and increase your sense of self-worth. Give this a try with your own situation. Try to come up with some evidence for and against each of your thoughts.

If you find it difficult to come up with evidence against your thoughts, you’re not alone. Many people struggle with this initially because we are often our own worst critic. Try by asking yourself what ‘evidence against’ you might suggest to your best friend if they were in the same situation! This will allow you to silence your inner critic for a moment and treat the negative thoughts the same as you would suggest to someone you care about.

Part 3: Coming Up with a Balanced View

The final step in this activity is to come up with a more balanced and realistic way of thinking about the situation. This involves taking into account the evidence for and against the negative thought and coming up with a more balanced perspective.

When you ask yourself if there are other explanations for a situation, it helps you consider different possibilities. It also reminds you that your initial thoughts are just assumptions and that it's important to give all possible explanations the same importance.

Here are some questions that can help when it comes to thinking of alternative explanations:

• Is there another way to view the situation?
• What might a friend say about the situation?
• What would you say to a friend in this situation?
• Can you be sure that your view is accurate?

Here are some examples of how this may play out in our job rejection scenario.

By coming up with a balanced view of these negative thoughts, you can begin to see the situation from a more objective and realistic perspective. This can help you feel less overwhelmed and more empowered to take action towards achieving your goals.

Give part three a try now with your own situation. If you found evidence for and against your thought, now try to find alternative explanations. Then, examine all of the evidence that you came up with and try to craft some more balanced thoughts.