CBT Techniques: Treating Thoughts as Guesses

Many people try cognitive behavioral therapy to learn how to manage their emotions better. Others seek help in curbing a destructive behavioral pattern, such as an addiction. In each case, one of the most powerful ways to help people change their emotions or behaviors is to start by helping them learn to change their thoughts. One of the many CBT techniques designed to aid in this task is treating thoughts as guesses.

We all have thoughts about the world we live in, our relationships, ourselves, the future, the past… Thoughts are an incredibly powerful tool for understanding the world around them. It is our ability to create mental representations of things and concepts in our minds that allows us to solve problems, create, and hopefully improve our lives. Unfortunately, however, thoughts also have the potential to cause suffering, creating rather than solving problems.

People suffering from emotional problems, such as depression or anxiety, have learned to think in ways that perpetuate the problematic emotion. For example, people with depression tend to make sense of the world in more pessimistic ways, often involving thoughts that they are helpless to improve things. Similarly, people with anxiety disorders frequently overestimate the likelihood of danger in their lives. These thinking patterns reinforce and intensify problems with emotion dysregulation, which in turn validate negative thought patterns and function similar to a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 One CBT technique to reverse this negative feedback loop is to relate to thoughts less as facts and more as guesses. The reality is that many of the thoughts we have are not facts. They are merely conclusions that we develop in response to a limited set of facts. For instance, if you decide to enroll in a foreign language class and have difficulty after the first day, based on the limited number of facts available, you may have thoughts that it is too difficult and that you are just not cut out for learning languages. These thoughts may cause you to feel very discouraged, drop the class, and avoid future language learning opportunities.

The thought “I can’t learn new languages” is not itself a fact, but a conclusion drawn after your first class. It is very possible that with continued effort and practice in the class, what you thought was difficult on the first day may seem easy just a few weeks later. However, if you relate to “I can’t learn new languages” as an incontrovertible truth, chances are you will never stick with the language long enough to realize this. In this way, confusing thoughts with facts can be detrimental to your self-esteem and sense of agency.

The key is to begin to think of thoughts as guesses or hypotheses. Using the same scenario above, if after the first day you are overwhelmed, having thoughts of “I’m not smart enough to learn languages,” and begin to feel discouraged, you might do well to consider alternative explanations:

·       It may be that because this is new, it’s very unfamiliar and initially seems more difficult than it really is.
·       This is just the first class. It will likely become easier with time and repetition.
·       New subjects are usually more difficult at the beginning, so maybe I should give it more time and assess my ability level later on.
·       It might actually be very difficult, but that doesn’t mean I can’t learn it. I may just have to work harder than I assumed initially.
·      Even if I do face a lot of difficulty or don’t learn the language perfectly, it is worth it to me to give it a try. After all, there were reasons why I wanted to learn this language, and none of them were because I thought it would be very easy.
 

Challenging yourself to treat your initial assumption as one of many possible guesses can be helpful in not rigidly holding onto it, and instead being able to shift flexibly to other, more helpful conclusions. By considering a range of possibilities, it becomes easier to go with the one that seems the most effective, in this case, the one that helps you stick with the language class long enough to achieve your language goal.

Many cognitive behavioral therapy techniques are designed to help you learn to see thoughts as guesses. In fact, in some ways, most CBT techniques are designed to do just that. You can try the following technique to help you consider a range of possibilities the next time you feel stuck:

1. When you are feeling an especially strong negative emotion, such as anger, sadness, or anxiety, stop and identify the thoughts that seem most responsible for fueling the emotion.

2. Pick the thought that packs the most punch, and remember that it is just one way of making sense of the available facts and is not necessarily a fact itself.

3. Brainstorm as many other hypotheses as you can, regardless of whether or not you believe them.

4. Pick a few that seem helpful, and write out how you might feel or act differently if you adopted this new thought

5. Once you decide on the most helpful way of making sense of the current situation, remind yourself of this new thought as much as you can. It won’t make the other thought disappear, but it will certainly reduce the old thought’s airtime in your mind, making it less dominant over your feelings and behavior.
 

By switching your orientation to thoughts as guesses instead of facts, you can learn to more flexibly and effectively think about a variety of different situations. Ultimately, this will likely result in you feeling better when challenges arise. Loosening your grip on unhelpful thought patterns can also help you make better choices and act more effectively in difficult circumstances.

5 Things You Can Do to Decrease Anger Right Now

Anger is a natural emotion. Everyone experiences anger from time to time. Unfortunately, when anger becomes excessive, it can result in all kinds of problems. And anger is often excessive. You may regularly have the experience of getting worked up about something, stewing over it, and then allowing it to influence your behavior by snapping at someone. Then, after it’s over with, you recognize the thing that triggered you wasn’t such a big deal after all. Fortunately, you can do several things to modulate your reactions to situations to decrease your anger and handle stressors more effectively. 

1. Mindfully acknowledge your anger: One of the first things you can do is simply acknowledge that your anger is present. When anger rises to a fever pitch, we often get strong urges to act (think honking your horn).  The more intense the anger, the shorter the time between the angry urge and our action. Thus, we act without thinking. Mindfulness can be helpful to slow this process down a bit and allow time for a little more choice and rational thought. Whenever you notice physical manifestations of anger, such as a flushed face, describe the feelings silently in your mind: “I notice a feeling of my face flushed.” As angry thoughts arise, do the same: “I’m noticing thoughts about how I should be treated,” or “I’m noticing urges to react.” Putting words to our experiences rather than being hooked in by them can be a helpful tool in reacting differently to angry impulses and reducing the intensity and duration of anger. 

2. Weigh the pros and cons: Do some cost-benefit analysis in your mind about acting out of anger. List all of the benefits of reacting in anger: “feeling of relief, feeling of control, people listening, etc.” Now list all of the cons: “say hurtful things to others, stress relationships, regret…” It is likely that the pros are more short-term, and the cons are more long-term. Human beings are more likely to be influenced by short-term consequences rather than long-term consequences. So, by reminding yourself of some of the long-term cons when the anger arises it forces the negative consequences into the short-term and makes them more compelling to consider before reacting. 

3. Remove yourself from the situation: It’s likely that the longer you’re in a triggering situation, the more triggered you will be. Take a 5-minute break (a bathroom break works great for this. No one will argue with you for needing to go to the bathroom.) from whatever you are doing to allow the emotion to return to baseline. That way, you’ll be able to handle things more effectively when you come back, your judgment unclouded by anger. 

4. Consider alternate perspectives: Notice how you think about what makes you angry. It’s likely that the angrier you get, the more rigid your thinking is becoming. To loosen up your thought patterns and consequently reduce your level of anger, think of the triggering situation from a few different viewpoints. Take different perspectives. In the grand scheme of things, is this really that important? What would be the worst-case scenario, and is it really that bad? What are some reasons your opponent’s position makes perfect sense? Why might it be a good idea to reconsider your point of view? Rather than focusing on the problem, consider focusing on the solution. These and other ways of chewing on something from different angles may help to soften intense emotions. 

5. Develop love and compassion: Love is incompatible with anger. The two can’t exist in the same person at the same time. Practice learning to love and appreciate people and situations that frustrate you. When you’re facing them, practice smiling genuinely at them. Think to yourself, “May this person have happiness. May this person be free of suffering.” Significant new research shows that inducing thoughts of love and compassion can have numerous benefits, including improved mood, better immune response, and increased psychological flexibility (Weng et al., 2013), not to mention fewer instances of uncontrolled anger. 

Using one or several of these strategies may help you control your anger more effectively. The more you practice them, the better you’ll get at them, putting you back in the driver’s seat rather than your anger. Click here for more information on cognitive behavioral therapy for anger.   

Weng, H. Y., Fox, A. S., Shackman, A. J., Stodola, D. E., Caldwell, J. Z. K., Olson, M. C., Rogers, G. M., & Davidson, R. J. (2013). Compassion training alters altruism and neural responses to suffering. Psychological Science.

All material provided on this website is for informational purposes only.  Direct consultation of a qualified provider should be sought for any specific questions or problems.  Use of this website in no way constitutes professional service or advice. 

Learn to Meditate, Reduce Stress

Meditation is an ancient form of contemplative practice that was developed as a crucial component of the world’s great spiritual traditions. From mindfulness meditation to creative visualization, the different forms of meditation that have developed throughout the world all aim to develop and enhance serenity, compassion, and wisdom. Only recently has modern science begun to recognize the positive impacts of meditation on the brain, including increased emotion regulation, decreased psychological distress, improved attention, and improved immune system functioning. As a result, people who are not necessarily connected to a spiritual tradition have begun to benefit from this ancient practice to improve their quality of life. The following is a brief introduction to a specific form of meditation called mindfulness. 

The purpose of mindfulness meditation is to bring your mind fully into the present moment, without being distracted by unrelated thoughts or unhelpful judgments. We are usually caught up in our thoughts, not realizing we are totally disconnected from what we are doing. This can have many negative consequences, the most important being we miss out on fully engaging in our lives, with our brains on autopilot. New research has shown that our mood takes a significant dip when we are caught up in our thoughts. Conversely, when our find is focused on the present moment, our mood is usually improved, even when we may be doing something unpleasant. 

There are many ways to practice mindfulness. Below are some instructions for developing a simple daily meditation practice of being mindful of the breath. 

Find a quiet place free of distractions. Your mind will offer enough distractions, so a place with noise or a lot of activity will make sustained attention significantly more difficult. 

Have a seat and close your eyes. There is no right way to sit. You can sit cross-legged, full lotus, or upright in a chair. The most important thing is that your sitting position is comfortable and not distracting itself.

Bring your mind to the sensation of your breath entering and exiting your nose. Just notice the tingling as cool air enters and warm air exits. This is a simple task in that there are not a lot of steps or complex visualizations to keep track of. However, you will find it is a difficult task. You will notice your mind wandering to all sorts of things: physical sensations, planning, daydreaming, rehashing past events. That is to be expected. In fact, the better you become at mindfulness, the more you notice how distracted you are when focusing your mind. 
All you have to do when you notice your mind leaving your breath, is gently bring it back. Again and again. If your mind wanders 100 times in one minute, bring it back 100 times in one minute. Sometimes, people become discouraged because their minds continually wander. In reality, you should congratulate yourself for noticing your mind drifting. This is a significant improvement over never noticing at all. 

Watch your breathing for about 5 minutes. Continually aware of when your mind leaves. Continually bringing it back. Afterward, you may notice an increased sense of calm that you can use to set the tone for the rest of the day.

As you become more acquainted with the practice, you can increase the time sitting to 10, 15, or 20 minutes. The most important point of developing a daily meditation practice is consistency, so 3 minutes every day is better than an hour once a week. 

Try this simple practice for yourself, and see what you notice. You may just find that taking a few minutes to be present is rewarding enough that you look for other opportunities throughout the day to be present. Just as this practice is focused on the breath, you mindfully focus on driving, eating, drinking your morning cup of coffee, chatting with a co-worker… There are endless opportunities to connect to the present moment. 

Cognitive Distortions Definition of Catastrophizing

The cognitive distortion of catastrophizing is pretty much what you might think it is: making something into a catastrophe when it's not. When we catastrophize, we tell ourselves that something is so awful, so terrible, that we won't be able to handle it. That we would fall apart or die. The more we tell ourselves the problem we are facing is a catastrophe, the more hopeless and helpless we will feel to effectively cope with it. Catastrophizing can result in increased anxiety and depression and can make difficult situations feel even worse than they already are. There are several ways of rethinking catastrophic thinking to help you better handle adversity.

When you recognize catastrophizing, first ask yourself what about this situation is so terrible? Have you dealt with similar situations in the past? If so, did you survive? If you did survive (and presumably you did), how?  What did you do to weather the difficulty?

How will you feel about this situation a month from now? Do you imagine your feelings will be just as strong? What do you think you will probably do to move on? How about a year from now? How do you think you will think and feel about the situation? Would your feelings be as intense? And two years from now? Challenges often lose their emotional intensity and perceived importance over time. Think back to what you were most worried about five years ago and how it turned out. Do you even remember what you were concerned about then?

Are you the only one in the world to go through this? How many other people would you guess go through something similar? How many people do you think are facing something even worse? How do you think they manage to move beyond the negative event and go on to do positive things in their lives? What does that tell you about how you may be able to handle this situation?

Consider what you have going for you in your life. What positive experiences are you able to have? What steps can you take to improve your life? Consider the aspects of your life that you take for granted and are not catastrophes, and cultivate gratitude.  

Think of someone you know who seems to handle adversity pretty well. If this catastrophe befell them, how do you imagine they would cope? What do you think they would tell themselves to be able to pick themselves up and get back on the proverbial horse?

Do you think everybody would think this situation is as bad as you do? If not, why not? How would they be making sense of this not to see it as a catastrophe?

If ten years from now, you were to realize that this "catastrophe," although clearly not part of your plan, was actually the best thing for you at the time, how might this be the case? What positive things might come from this? What opportunities might this situation present that you might not otherwise have access to?

Recognizing catastrophizing and considering other perspectives can reduce your belief that the situation is terrible or hopeless. By feeling better and more confident, you can effectively manage the situation. You are more likely to respond to the challenge skillfully and with less emotional pain. The next time you hear yourself catastrophizing, try considering some of these other lines of reasoning and see what happens. 

Should I Trust Psychology Research?

A recent large-scale study that came out of the University of Virginia has made a lot of headlines of late. A group known as the Reproductability Project replicated 100 social psychology experiments and found that more than half failed to replicate, meaning that the new studies came up with different results. This gained a lot of attention in the popular media and has caused many people to question their trust in psychology research openly. As cognitive-behavioral therapists pride themselves on clinical practice supported by research, this is a relevant issue for those using CBT.

The primary issue concerns what to make of two identical studies with un-identical results. The insinuation in popular media is that there may be some fabrication of results.  This is an understandable conclusion, especially in light of notable incidences of this in the medical field in the recent past. However, this is not the only conclusion. Nor is it the most likely one.

The reality is that it is fairly common for replication studies to produce results different from the original study. This is expected because even when there are efforts to replicate a study such that the second study is identical to the first, some conditions are not controlled for and thus are different from those in the original. A slight change in the conditions of an experiment can yield widely divergent results. A different sample population, an updated psychometric measure, or even a change in temperature can result in a large degree of variability in the data.

In actuality, when replicated experiments result in inconsistent data, this is a cause for excitement in the scientific community. It means we do not understand something as well as we thought we did. In essence, the previous data was only true under certain conditions. If we can learn what was so influential about those conditions, we can have an even more sophisticated understanding of the phenomenon being observed and hone the experimental hypothesis. Divergent data are just as helpful, if not more so, than identical results.

This has certainly been the case with cognitive-behavioral clinical studies. Gold-standard treatments such as prolonged exposure for PTSD have been the source of numerous studies and replication studies. Through continual testing and re-examining, we have a better idea of how these treatments work and, when they don’t, what factors are responsible.  Most importantly, when a clinical practice is deemed evidence-based, it is not because of having merely one study to support it. Evidenced-based denotes having numerous studies evidencing the effectiveness or efficacy of a particular clinical practice. CBT has been the subject of hundreds of studies in the last two decades, and as a result, we know which practices are effective and under which conditions. 

Cognitive Distortions: Mind Reading

Living in a complicated world, we need a simple way of making sense of things so we can navigate our lives. One way we simplify is to take mental shortcuts, quick ways of sizing up a situation without having a lot of information. Usually, the shortcuts work pretty well, but sometimes they distort our thinking. These distorted shortcuts are what we in cognitive behavioral therapy call cognitive distortions. There are numerous cognitive distortions that we engage in all the time. One common distortion is mind reading. Mind reading is assuming what someone else is thinking without having much to go on. If we rely too much on mind reading, we can make mistakes about what others think of us, which can really wreak havoc with our mood. Mind reading often leads to depression and anxiety, especially social anxiety. Consequently, learning to recognize and respond to common cognitive distortions such as mind reading can be helpful.

In small doses, mind reading can actually be a useful tool. We know that certain nonverbal behaviors and verbal reactions can give us clues about what someone is thinking. For instance, when we tell someone something and their jaw drops, we automatically assume the other person is surprised. This is a kind of mind reading that’s helpful in social encounters and not an example of a cognitive distortion. However, when used too much or without much evidence to go on, mind reading can be problematic. Take the example of someone eating alone in a cafeteria, thinking everyone thinks she is a loser for eating alone. Or if you get to work a few minutes late, and you think everyone else is thinking about your tardiness. Engage in enough distorted mind reading, and you can feel pretty miserable after a while.

Below are a few questions and different perspectives designed to help you think through mind-reading, and take on a more helpful way of thinking about difficult situations.

First, identify what exactly it is you predict the other person is thinking. Sometimes, just writing down or saying the prediction out loud can help you see the holes in logic and get you a little distance from the unhelpful thought.

What are the costs and benefits of believing this thought? Although we usually don’t think about thoughts in terms of their costs and benefits, they all have costs and benefits. With mind reading, you may think that you are protecting yourself from some bad outcome or some kind of surprise. These would be benefits. Costs are things like increased anxiety, more self-consciousness, and rumination. Now compare the potential benefits to the actual costs, and ask yourself, “Would you want to buy these thoughts given their price?”

What is the evidence for and against your thoughts? When we engage in a lot of mindreading, we usually only consider evidence that confirms our predictions. Rarely do we ever pit our assumptions against evidence that steers us away from our predictions. By collecting the evidence for and against our mind reading, you can determine which side has more evidence, and more importantly, consider the quality of the evidence you have. This is a more objective approach to testing your thoughts and can help you detect common cognitive distortions.

Imagine the thought were true. Would it mean more about you, or more about the other person? For instance, if the thought is that someone doesn’t like you because of the clothes you’re wearing, what does that mean about the other person? And do you expect everyone to like you? Is that a realistic expectation?

Can you test out the thought? What would need to happen for you to be absolutely convinced? Try it out as an experiment.

Try acting counter to the thought. If you feel like avoiding eye contact, approach the other person and introduce yourself. Their reaction may indicate your assumption was totally inaccurate. Our behavior often has a way of making self-fulfilling prophecies. Trying something new might get you a result you didn’t expect.

By learning to recognize and challenge the common cognitive distortion of mind reading, you can begin to reduce self-consciousness, shyness, and negative feelings such as anxiety and depression. This is one technique that comes from cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and depression. For more information about CBT, explore the links at the top of the page. 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles is a therapy practice of expert psychologists with the highest level of training and experience in providing evidence-based treatment. Click the button below to ask a question or schedule a consultation to determine whether CBT is right for you.

Common Cognitive Distortions: Negative Filtering

Negative Filtering is a common cognitive distortion, and most of us do it from time to time. Simply, it is filtering out all of the positive information about a specific situation and only allowing in the negative information. In other words, negative filtering is focusing on negative things and discounting positive things. For instance, negative filtering occurs if you’re usually on time with deadlines but are late once and have thoughts about being incompetent. Or, if you generally make A’s and B’s in a class but make a lower grade on one assignment, having thoughts about being stupid or a poor student is evidence of negative filtering.

Negative filtering often accompanies unrealistically high expectations. Unrealistic expectations involve anticipating always doing something well or doing something perfectly. Perfection is the standard against which all effort is judged. If you reach it, it’s merely doing what is expected. But if you fall short occasionally, it is easy to ignore all of your past successes and focus entirely on the few instances that were not as successful.

Negative filtering can be harmful, as only focusing on negative things can result in a depressed mood, poor self-esteem, and unhealthy pessimism. Many people get caught in a cycle of negative filtering that results in poor mood, resulting in more negative filtering, etc. Negative filtering is one of the primary cognitive distortions in people with depression. As such, identifying negative filtering is one of the primary treatment targets in cognitive behavioral therapy for depression.

The key thing to do when you suspect you may be engaging in negative filtering is to examine the actual evidence. Look around to find instances in which things are not all bad and, more importantly, things to be grateful for. Ask yourself if other people you know would come to the same conclusion given the circumstances and if not, what would they be focusing on that you’re not? Is the evidence really all bad, or are there varying degrees? Try making the opposite case, for instance, that you will be able to pass the class or that you’re not incompetent. Is there more evidence for that argument? By probing and systematically looking at the way we think about things, we can come to more rational, less mood-dependent conclusions.

Being vigilant to negative filtering can help us learn to take on more effective, less pessimistic perspectives and consequently feel better about our situation. The next time you suspect you may be engaging in filtering, try taking on an alternate perspective by more closely examining your thoughts. 

All material provided on this website is for informational purposes only. Direct consultation with a qualified provider should be sought for any specific questions or problems.  Use of this website in no way constitutes professional service or advice. 

Cognitive Distortions: Labeling

Labeling is a cognitive distortion in which we generalize by taking one characteristic of a person and applying it to the whole person. Because I failed a test, I am a failure. Because she is frequently late to work, she is irresponsible.  If someone responds in a brusque way, he is a jerk. Rather than more objectively thinking about the behavior, when we engage in labeling, we globally describe the whole person. As a result, we view the entire person through the label, such as jerk, and filter out any information that doesn’t fit under the umbrella of the label. This results in the label feeling more apt as a descriptor of the person, and we believe it more.

So what’s wrong with labeling? Well, as it is a cognitive distortion, it is necessarily a distorted way of thinking about things. The person who spoke to us curtly may not be “a jerk” but instead could be in a hurry. Or they may be a very kind and generous person who speaks directly and to the point. Making one broad assumption about someone based on one isolated data point or just a few data points is almost always inaccurate.

Labeling as a cognitive distortion, in addition to causing inaccurate thinking, can fuel and maintain painful emotions. If you fail a test and come to the conclusion that this means you’re a failure, it will likely trigger feelings of sadness, despair, hopelessness, etc. Whereas recognizing that you merely failed a test would most probably result in more mild disappointment. Furthermore, if you believe the label, identifying as a failure, you won’t know what to do to solve the problem. Failing a test means you need to study more. Problem solved. Failing in life, however… What do you do to solve that?

Labeling also causes problems when we apply it to others. Labeling your husband as uncaring because he appears not to listen to you when you talk about your day can feel miserable. You’re married to an uncaring person. But if you consider the behavior as the problem rather than the person, it becomes easier to discuss with him and potentially solve it. For instance, it may be that he needs time to unwind at the end of the day or has difficulty concentrating in general.

When we notice ourselves engaging in the cognitive distortion of labeling, there is one simple solution: objectively describe the behavior we notice. That person is late to work. I failed the test. She spoke to me brusquely. You may find that fewer negative feelings are stirred by this more objective, more accurate language. Even better, problems that have felt unsolvable, or people who seem impossible, may become much more manageable. 

All material provided on this website is for informational purposes only. Direct consultation with a qualified provider should be sought for any specific questions or problems.  Use of this website in no way constitutes professional service or advice. 

Achieve Your Goals by Countering Automatic Thoughts

Many people who have anxiety and depression often feel hopeless about getting what they want in life. It’s not that they haven’t tried to achieve their goals. The problem is that what they have tried hasn’t worked as well as they would have liked. Over time, they conclude it is not worth the continued effort. As a result, they feel they are off track in their lives, and this feeling fuels and maintains their anxiety and depression.  The more depressed they become, the less effective their efforts seem. It can be a devastating cycle.

There is a technique from a form of CBT called Cognitive Behavioral Assessment System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) designed specifically for this dilemma. It involves looking at your goal and working backward to determine what has gotten in the way of achieving it. This may sound like something that most people do automatically. However, what is different about this technique is that it does not just require that you examine the actions you took to obtain your desired outcome. It also requires that you examine your interpretations of the situation as well. In other words, this model emphasizes that how you think about your goal is just as important strategically as the steps you take in going after it.

For example, let’s say that your goal is to get a raise at work. You go into your boss’ office, highlight your achievements, ask for the increase, and… rejected. After several instances of this, you might feel it is hopeless and give up. You did all the right things, right? Well, your interpretations of the situation might have weakened your strategy. While you were talking to your boss, did you have thoughts like “I don’t really deserve a raise” or “I’m not worth it?” How about, “I know she’s just going to say no anyway.” If these are the thoughts running through your mind, how do you think they impacted your body language or how assertively you went after the raise? How do you think these thoughts affected your commitment to the goal, i.e. your willingness to compromise? What about the impact of these thoughts on your nonverbal communication, such as eye contact, posture, etc.? Or the other extreme may be the case: Did you go in thinking, “I’ve worked here for so long they owe me a raise,” because how do you think this might come across?

Yes, our ineffective automatic thoughts can get in the way even when we have a solid strategy for getting what we want. In CBASP, the solution involves comparing your interpretations to your desired outcome, and deciding whether the interpretations moved you closer to your goal or further from it. If the thoughts were obstacles to your objective, you need to tweak them so they become assets. What would you have to think to get what you wanted? Or, what would someone else who consistently achieves their goals think in this situation? By identifying a more helpful mindset, you allow your thoughts to work for you rather than against you. This technique is akin to cognitive restructuring on traditional CBT. And like cognitive restructuring, it is more difficult than people first assume, mainly because you actually have to believe the alternate perspective.  Click here for more information about cognitive restructuring in CBT.

So, the next time you feel like your bulletproof strategy has fallen short, stop and consider whether you included your thoughts as part of your strategy. 

All material provided on this website is for informational purposes only. Direct consultation with a qualified provider should be sought for any specific questions or problems.  Use of this website in no way constitutes professional service or advice. 

Get Back to Sleep!

There is much information on the internet about healthy sleeping habits, commonly called sleep hygiene. Behaviors such as maintaining a regular bedtime, making the bedroom comfortable, not watching TV in bed, etc. – all of these can be very helpful for helping people go to sleep. However, if you have difficulty waking up in the middle of the night, these tried-and-true interventions are probably not terribly helpful. You may, however, find the following techniques to get back to sleep helpful:

Once you realize you are awake, try to get back to sleep immediately. The lights stay off, and your head on the pillow. Rather than think about your day or plan the next day, go to sleep. There will be plenty of time to deliberate or plan tomorrow. If you find it difficult to turn off your mind once it gets going, try one of the other techniques mentioned below.

Let it go. Tell yourself to let it go and that if what you are thinking about is truly important, you will surely resume thinking about whatever it is tomorrow.

Do your planning before bedtime. If you have a good idea of what you will worry about once you are in bed, worry about it beforehand. Write out the source of the worry, and next to each worry, write the solution or the next step. When the worry occurs to you while you’re in bed, remember that you’ve already identified a solution, and postpone the worry until tomorrow. You may even find it helpful to have the piece of paper on your nightstand to use as a visual reminder that you’ve already done all the thinking you need about that topic.

Count your breaths as a way to distract your mind. Imagine you are becoming increasingly sleepy with each exhalation.

One mistake people make is staying in bed for hours when they are unable to fall back asleep. When you stay in bed while you are not sleeping, you are essentially training yourself to be awake, alert, and frustrated in bed, all of which are moving you in the opposite direction from sleep. The more you toss and turn, the more you teach yourself that this is what you do in bed, not sleep. You can undo this cycle by getting out of bed once you’ve been awake for 15 minutes. Stand beside the bed in the dark, counting your breaths, imagining that you’re feeling sleepier and heavier with each breath. Once you feel drowsier, return to bed.

You may find these exercises helpful the next time you have difficulty falling back asleep. They come from a cognitive behavioral treatment for insomnia. For severe insomnia, it is recommended you consult a mental health professional. 

All material provided on this website is for informational purposes only. Direct consultation with a qualified provider should be sought for any specific questions or problems.  Use of this website in no way constitutes professional service or advice.