COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING WORKSHEET ANXIETY

SECTION A.

Cognitive restructuring is a technique used for identifying and changing negative thinking patterns.

These negative thinking patterns are key drivers of anxiety and depression.

What Are The Theories Behind This Worksheet?

Cognitive restructuring is the heart of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

Cognitive restructuring is a powerful therapy technique that’s been adapted to help people who struggle with stressful events and mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, or substance use disorders. 

Cognitive restructuring is a useful process for identifying and understanding unhelpful thoughts, and for challenging and replacing automatic thoughts: these unhelpful thoughts are called cognitive distortions.

How Will This Worksheet Help You?

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental disorders associated with high societal burdens relating to the perception of future threats or dangers. 

One of the most well-researched treatments for anxiety disorders is cognitive restructuring. 

Cognitive restructuring is used to help patients struggling with anxiety disorders;

• Identify problematic thoughts
• Evaluate thoughts
• Disengage from the thoughts by calling out the irrationality of the thoughts
• Substituting the thought with a more realistic thought pattern

How Should You Use This Worksheet?

This worksheet is to be used when you’re feeling a strong negative emotional reaction towards something or towards an upsetting situation or event. 

You can also use this worksheet following an incident that made you become quite upset.

This worksheet can serve as your self-reflective and evaluation kit.

COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING WORKSHEET ANXIETY

SECTION B.

1. Explain the upsetting situation or the strong negative emotional reaction you are experiencing.

2. Identify what triggered the upsetting situation or the strong negative emotional reaction.

3. Identify the automatic thoughts you are experiencing.

4. Identify the emotional reactions you are experiencing.

5. Create alternative thoughts for each initial automatic thought.

6. Re-assess the intensity of your emotions (identified in step 4 above)  with more rational and realistic ones. 

You can download this worksheet here.

References