Challenging negative thinking to boost your mood

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on modifying dysfunctional emotions, behaviors, and thoughts by identifying and changing negative or irrational beliefs. Considered a "solutions-oriented" form of talk therapy, CBT rests on the idea that thoughts and perceptions influence behavior.

Here is how that works. Something happens – it could be anything. You have thoughts about what has just happened. You experience emotions based on those thoughts. You respond to your thoughts and feelings with behaviors. Now let’s get to a real life example.

Example: A co-worker scowls at you while you are walking past each other in the hall.

Thoughts: You think “They must be mad at me.”

Emotions: You feel upset, embarrassed and maybe self conscious.

Behaviors: You replay the situation over and over in your head and think maybe you need to apologize to your colleague for something, but you are not sure of what.

Is that thought rational? Considering there were no words exchanged . . . . Probably not. We all have irrational thoughts, but they do affect how we feel and how we behave.

So instead of thinking “what a jerk” you think “they must have been having a bad day” which is a more NEUTRAL reaction. You forget about the scowling coworker, go about your day, and never give it another thought.

Now you try it!