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Thoughts & Feelings, fourth edition

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 Instructions for the Thought Journal Worksheet
To appreciate the power of your automatic thoughts and the role they play in your emo-
tional life, use the following form to keep a Thought Journal. As soon as possible after
you experience an unpleasant feeling, record it on the form, which is self-explanatory
except for how to rate your feelings. To assess your distress level, use a scale of 0 to 100
in which 0 means the feeling causes no distress and 100 is the most distressing emotion
you have ever felt. Make several copies of the form and carry one with you at all times
for at least one week, making an entry only when you feel a painful emotion. You may
find that concentrating on your automatic thoughts makes the feelings worse for a while.
Keep working on it—it’s normal to feel worse before you start to feel better.

At this point, it’s important for you to recognize that thoughts create and sustain emo-
tions. To reduce the frequency of painful emotions, you need to listen to what you think,
then ask how true your thoughts are. Remember, what you think ultimately creates what
you feel.

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 Thought Journal

Situation Feelings Automatic thoughts

When? Where? Who? What happened? One-­word summaries What were you thinking just before and
Rate 0–100 during the unpleasant feeling?
 Instructions for the Risk Assessment Worksheet
You can use the following Risk Assessment Worksheet to make accurate risk assessments
by estimating accurate probabilities and making reasonable predictions about outcomes.
This will help lower your anxiety. On the first line, record one of your worries in the form
of a feared event. Write down the worst possible version of your worry you can think of.
Next, write the automatic thoughts that typically come up. Then rate your anxiety when
considering this worst-case scenario, using a scale of 0 to 100 where 0 is no anxiety and
100 is the worst fear you’ve ever experienced. Next rate the probability of this worst-case
scenario coming to pass, from 0 percent for no likelihood at all to 100 percent for abso-
lute inevitability.

The next section deals with catastrophic thinking. Assuming that the worst did happen,
predict the consequences you most fear. Then spend some time figuring out what you
would tell yourself and what you would do in order to cope with the catastrophe. When
you have a clear picture of possible coping strategies, make a revised prediction of the
likely consequences if what you fear does come to pass. Then rate your anxiety again and
see if it has diminished.

The next section addresses the issue of overestimation. List the evidence against the very
worst outcome happening. Figure the odds as realistically as you can. Then list all of the
alternative outcomes you can think of. Finally, once again rate your anxiety and the prob-
ability of the event. You should find that both your anxiety and your probability ratings
have declined as the result of your doing this full and objective risk assessment.

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 Risk Assessment Worksheet

Feared event: 

Automatic thoughts: 

Rate your anxiety from 0 to 100:        

Rate the probability of the event from 0 to 100 percent:        

Assuming the worst happens

Predict the worst possible consequences: 

Possible coping thoughts: 

Possible coping actions: 

Revised prediction of consequences: 

Rate your anxiety from 0 to 100 once again:        

Evidence against the worst possible outcome: 

Alternative outcomes: 

Rate your anxiety from 0 to 100 once again:        

Rate the probability of the event from 0 to 100 percent once again:        
 Instructions for the Probability Form
In the first column, write down the event that’s triggering anxiety. Under “Automatic
thoughts,” write your interpretations and beliefs about the event. Try to include your
worst and most catastrophic thoughts. As you focus on your automatic thoughts, use the
next two columns to rate the percent probability that what you fear will come true and the
intensity of your anxiety. A probability rating of 100 percent means the catastrophe will
assuredly happen. Note that many probabilities are less than 1 percent.

Rate your anxiety on a scale of 0 to 100, where 100 is the worst anxiety you’ve ever ex-
perienced. The next two columns will help you examine your automatic thoughts. Under
“Evidence,” write down any facts or experiences that either support or contradict your
automatic thoughts.

Move on to the “Coping alternatives” column. Here, describe your action plan if the
worst should occur, how you’d cope with the crisis. Take your time with the “Coping
alternatives” column. Brainstorm until you’ve developed at least three believable coping
strategies.

The last step in completing the Probability Form is to once again rate percent probability
and anxiety. Typically, people discover that the probability of catastrophe seems lower
after weighing the evidence and developing coping alternatives, as does intensity of anxi-
ety.

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 Probability Form

Event Automatic Probability Anxiety Evidence Coping alternatives Probability Anxiety

External or thoughts (0–100%) (0–­100) (0–100%) (0–100)
internal
 Instructions for the Values Worksheet
This worksheet will help you clarify your key values and determine which life domains
are most important to you. Because your priorities and values may change with time,
make a copy for future use. To use the worksheet, start by filling in the right-hand col-
umn, writing a few words or phrases that summarize your key values for each domain.
Use the blank rows to add any domains that are important to you that aren’t on the list.
Then rate the domains in terms of importance to you using a scale from 0 to 2, where 0 is
not at all important, 1 is moderately important, and 2 is very important.

Once you fille out the form, you can compare how you’re currently living your life with
your key values. To begin, review your responses on the Important Life Domains and
Key Values form. For each domain, think about the values you associate with it and
consider whether you’re satisfied with what you’re currently doing in your life in that
domain. Do your actions in that area reflect your values? If not, consider what you could
do differently to bring your life more into alignment with your values. Take some time to
write about this on a separate piece of paper.

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 Important Life Domains and Key Values

Importance Domain Key values

Intimate relationships

Parenting

Education and learning

Friends and social life

Physical self-­care and health

Family of origin

Spirituality

Community and citizenship

Recreation and leisure

Work and career

 Instructions for the Problem Analysis Worksheet
If you’ve identified a problem situation in your life, use the worksheet to analyze the situ-
ation you’ve chosen. Try to put at least one word in each blank. If you need more space,
use a separate sheet of paper. Describing the situation in terms of who, what, where,
when, how, and why will help you better understand your problem. It will also help you
uncover many details that you might not otherwise consider.

Take your time. Describing the details of your behavior and feelings and what you want
is also important because this information provides clues for generating solutions later.

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 Problem Analysis Worksheet

Situation (from the checklist of problems or described briefly in your own words): 

Who else is involved? 

What happens? (What is done or not done that bothers you?) 

Where does it happen? 

When does it happen? (What time of day? How often? How long does it last?) 

How does it happen? (What rules does it seem to follow? What moods are involved)? 

Why does it happen? (What reasons do you or others give for the problem at the time?) 

What do you do? (What is your actual response to the problem situation?) 

How do you feel? (Angry? Depressed? Anxious? Confused?) 

What do you want? (What things do you want to change?)