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: Since 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.
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