"Just because I think something…”

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We have thousands of thoughts each day, ⁣⁣between 45,000 to 50,000 to be ‘roughly’ exact. But did you know that not all of what you think about is necessarily true? ⁣⁣

It takes a bit of training to catch your thoughts since they happen so fast, but it is crucial for your mental health to practice analyzing thoughts. Not everything you think is true! ⁣⁣

Thoughts affect feelings and together they influence behavior. The thoughts we think, whether true or false, helpful or unhelpful, lead to our reactions: emotional (feelings), physiological (body), and behavioral (actions we take). ⁣⁣

Automatic thought: ⁣⁣

“I’m so overwhelmed, I’m never going to get done all that needs to get done today.” ⁣⁣

Leads to: ⁣⁣

Emotional: anxious⁣⁣

Physiological: tension, fidgety ⁣⁣

Behavioral: irritable with family, losing focus, becoming unproductive because of overwhelming thoughts. ⁣⁣

Let’s stop. Was that automatic thought entirely true? If it is true, is it a helpful thought? ⁣⁣

How about saying instead:⁣⁣

“Getting all of it done today may not be realistic, I can start on something small and go from there. Saying ‘never’ isn’t necessarily true. Eventually, I will get things done.” ⁣⁣

Try stopping to analyze your thoughts.⁣⁣ What are you saying to yourself? ⁣⁣

If it’s not entirely true, it will affect your reactions. 🔍💭 ⁣

⁣ ~ Dr. Judith Beck is the daughter of Dr. Aaron Beck, one of the founding fathers of Cognitive Behavior Therapy. She is also president of the Beck Institute.