There are a number of CBT techniques that are commonly used
to help people challenge worry including: thought records, thought
stopping, worry time, challenging the value of worry, problem solving,
experiments to increase intolerance of uncertainty and cognitive
exposure. Let’s take a look at them one at a time:
Thought Records:
Because worry is repetitive negative thinking, Thought Records can be
used to challenge worry. The main trick is to turn questions into
predictions that can be challenged. Remember, most worries take the form
of “What if…?” It’s hard to challenge the truth value of questions. So,
in order to challenge this kind of negative thinking, you will have to
change the “What if” questions into statements that can be tested. For
example, you will have to change worries such as “What is I don’t pass
the test?” “What if I have cancer?" “What if there is an accident?”
“What if I get fired?” and “What if she leaves me?” into statements such
as “I won’t pass the test,” “I have cancer,” “There will be an
accident,” “I am going to be fired,” and “She is going to leave me.”
Turn your worries into predictions about the future and then challenge
them as you would any other negative thought. “What ifs” about the past
can often be challenged by turning them into “should” statements. For
example “What if I stayed in school?” can be turned into “I should have
stayed in school.
How have you used you used recording your thoughts to challenge worry?
It’s been a while since you were active on this site. Please extend your session below
You have been logged out due to inactivity.
Please sign back in.
We use cookies to help us learn about how our platform is used and how we can improve your experience. To
learn more please see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
