CBT. Cognitive Restructuring to Change Your Thinking. First Steps.
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) is a short-term, scientifically proven method of psychotherapy focused on the relationship between thoughts, emotions, and behavior. This approach assumes that our emotions and behavior are determined by our thoughts and beliefs, and changing negative thoughts can lead to positive emotional and behavioral changes.
By learning to monitor your mood and identify automatic thoughts, you will likely feel more at ease with your emotions without being carried away by them so often.
The skill we will work on here and now is called cognitive restructuring. It involves identifying ineffective thinking patterns and changing them to become more effective. More effective may mean experiencing fewer negative emotions and responding more appropriately to specific situations. Cognitive restructuring is based on your ability to accurately recognize automatic thoughts and feelings, which were described in detail in the previous article.
The skill we will work on here and now is called cognitive restructuring. It involves identifying ineffective thinking patterns and changing them to become more effective. More effective may mean experiencing fewer negative emotions and responding more appropriately to specific situations. Cognitive restructuring is based on your ability to accurately recognize automatic thoughts and feelings, which were described in detail in the previous article.
Often, when people learn about cognitive restructuring, they assume it’s about the power of positive thinking—the idea that having a positive attitude toward negative situations leads to happiness. In reality, extremely positive thinking can be just as ineffective as extremely negative thinking. For example, believing that your first date will go terribly may cause it to go poorly. But assuming the date will go exceptionally well no matter what may reduce your awareness of how you interact with your partner, also leading to a poor experience.
Cognitive restructuring is not about shifting to a positive extreme. There’s a specific term for that—denial—which is not a very effective coping tool. Instead, cognitive restructuring involves developing a more nuanced perspective that considers both positive and negative aspects. As a result, you can adopt thoughts that evoke fewer negative emotions and help you achieve your goals more effectively—in other words, more rational thoughts.
You may experience an immediate positive shift in your mood by restructuring a dysfunctional thought. In other cases, you may need to rehearse a new way of thinking about a difficult situation before it starts to sink in and affect your feelings. The most important part of cognitive restructuring is regular practice until it becomes automatic, requiring no extra effort from you.
Steps for Cognitive Restructuring:
Step 1: Record the Situation, Thoughts, and Feelings.
Choose a situation that triggered negative thoughts and feelings, then break it down into components, as shown in previous articles. The key to cognitive restructuring is identifying as many thoughts associated with negative emotions as possible. Don’t stop at just one thought.
Choose a situation that triggered negative thoughts and feelings, then break it down into components, as shown in previous articles. The key to cognitive restructuring is identifying as many thoughts associated with negative emotions as possible. Don’t stop at just one thought.
Step 2: Choose One Automatic Thought.
From your list, pick the automatic thought that seems most responsible for your negative emotions. Focus on the thought that causes the greatest distress. If this is hard to determine, it may help to identify your strongest emotion and then find the thought behind it. For example, if you feel anger, sadness, and disappointment, but anger is the strongest emotion, identify which thought causes the most anger.
Before moving to the next step, reframe your thought into a clear statement. Here are some examples:
Once you have rephrased your thought into a statement, proceed to step three.
From your list, pick the automatic thought that seems most responsible for your negative emotions. Focus on the thought that causes the greatest distress. If this is hard to determine, it may help to identify your strongest emotion and then find the thought behind it. For example, if you feel anger, sadness, and disappointment, but anger is the strongest emotion, identify which thought causes the most anger.
Before moving to the next step, reframe your thought into a clear statement. Here are some examples:
- Automatic thought: “What if I fail the exam?”
- Reframed statement: “I will fail the exam.”
- Automatic thought: “Oh no!”
- Reframed statement: “I really messed up.”
- Automatic thought conveyed through an image of stuttering while speaking:
- Reframed statement: “I will stutter, and people will think I’m foolish.”
Once you have rephrased your thought into a statement, proceed to step three.
Step 3: Develop Different Perspectives on the Situation.
Think about the situation and automatic thought from different angles until your thinking and feelings begin to shift. There are countless ways to do this, but it’s best to work smart, not hard. You can ask yourself several guiding questions to help you discover a new perspective. I will cover these questions in detail in the next article: CBT. Cognitive Restructuring to Change Your Thinking. Guiding Questions.
Think about the situation and automatic thought from different angles until your thinking and feelings begin to shift. There are countless ways to do this, but it’s best to work smart, not hard. You can ask yourself several guiding questions to help you discover a new perspective. I will cover these questions in detail in the next article: CBT. Cognitive Restructuring to Change Your Thinking. Guiding Questions.
Step 4: Create an Alternative Response.
After answering some guiding questions about your situation, you may already feel better. However, to gain the most benefit, challenge yourself to create one statement that summarizes your responses or highlights the most important points. This is called an alternative response. You can recall this alternative response whenever your old automatic thought arises.
Although replacing thoughts immediately can be challenging, allowing a new alternative response to coexist with your old automatic thought can significantly improve your mood.
The more you complete these thought records using cognitive restructuring, the easier the process will become. With practice, you’ll be able to construct alternative responses in the moment without needing to write them down.
After answering some guiding questions about your situation, you may already feel better. However, to gain the most benefit, challenge yourself to create one statement that summarizes your responses or highlights the most important points. This is called an alternative response. You can recall this alternative response whenever your old automatic thought arises.
Although replacing thoughts immediately can be challenging, allowing a new alternative response to coexist with your old automatic thought can significantly improve your mood.
The more you complete these thought records using cognitive restructuring, the easier the process will become. With practice, you’ll be able to construct alternative responses in the moment without needing to write them down.
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Daler Mirzoev
Daler Mirzoev