CBT Exercise
This exercise might be useful if something has happened recently that you would like to work through. For example, you had a medical appointment, you had a disagreement with someone, you got some test results.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) helps people to understand the connection between their thoughts, feelings and actions. CBT exercises can help you to identify unhelpful thoughts, understand how they’re affecting you, and come up with different thoughts that support your wellbeing.
The exercise asks you to describe a difficult situation along with how you think, feel and react to it. Then, you go back and try to think about that same situation differently. How else might you interpret what has happened and explore what feelings and actions follow on from that thought.
There are seven boxes to write in. Complete them in order from the situation first, then through your actual thoughts, feelings and reactions and finally how else you might think feel and behave about this same situation.
| Situation | 1. The situation. What happened? Just focus on the facts of the situation. | |
|---|---|---|
| Actual | Alternative | |
| Thoughts | 2. Your actual thoughts | 5. An alternative thought |
| Feelings | 3. Your actual feeling | 6. Your feelings based on this alternative thought |
| Reactions | 4. Your actual reactions or behaviours | 7. Your reaction based on these alternative thoughts and feelings |
Example exercise
Here’s an example of this exercise in action.
| Situation | I had an appointment with my fertility specialist today and got some pretty bad news - I’m not getting many follicles. | |
|---|---|---|
| Actual | Alternative | |
| Thoughts | This cycle is going to fail and I’m never going to fall pregnant and have children. | The cycle isn’t over yet and anything might happen (positive or negative). There’s no way to know right now. |
| Feelings | Devastated, worried, tense | Worried but hopeful |
| Reactions | Teary, withdrawn, want to avoid going back to the clinic or having any more tests. Can’t stop thinking about it. | Have a cry then make a cup of tea and call my sister. Connect with a friend who has done IVF. |