Techniques for identifying anxious thoughts

In order to modify the negative automatic thoughts that contribute to anxiety, the first fundamental step is to learn to identify and become aware of them.

Since these thoughts tend to be rapid-fire and often operate outside of our conscious attention, specific techniques are required to bring them to light.

Self-Recording of Thoughts

One of the most widely used and effective tools for identifying automatic thoughts is self-recording.

It consists of the person keeping a diary in which they note, as close as possible to the moment they occur, the situations that generate anxiety, the thoughts that crossed their mind at that moment, the emotions they experienced and their intensity, and the behavior they displayed.

This systematic recording helps to:

• Become aware: Many people do not realize the quantity and type of negative thoughts they have until they begin to record them.

• Identifying patterns: This allows you to see if certain thoughts or themes recur in certain situations.

• Connecting thoughts, emotions, and behaviors: This helps you understand how thoughts influence emotions and actions.

• Providing material for therapeutic work: The recorded thoughts serve as a basis for subsequent questioning and cognitive restructuring.

Directed Questioning and Key Questions

Another complementary technique is directed questioning, which can be used both in a therapeutic context and as a self-administered approach.

It involves asking yourself specific questions to uncover the thoughts underlying an anxious emotion or behavior.

Some useful questions might be:

• "What was going through my mind just before I started feeling anxious?"

• "What is the worst I fear could happen in this situation?"

• "What does this situation mean for me?"

• "What image or memory came to mind?"

Sometimes automatic thoughts are not verbal, but mental images.

Asking about these images is also important.

Paying Attention to Emotional and Behavioral Changes

Paying attention to sudden changes in mood or behavior can also be a clue to identifying automatic thoughts.

If a person suddenly feels anxious, sad, or irritable, or if they have an impulse to avoid a situation, it is likely that a negative automatic thought triggered that response.

Pausing in the moment and asking yourself, "What did I think just now?" can help bring that thought to awareness.

Consistently practicing these identification techniques is essential to the cognitive restructuring process, since you can only change what you are aware of.