Follow the steps below to use the method of cognitive rehabilitation.
This method is based on Christine A. Padesky’s 7-column Thought Record from the book “Mind Over Mood,” which is worth reading to help you understand this methodology better.
Calm Yourself: If the thoughts you want to discuss are still disturbed or anxious, you may find it difficult to focus on using the tool and using meditation or deep breathing to calm down if you feel stressed or upset.
Identify the situation: begin with the situation that your bad mood has caused.
Analyze your mood: next, write down your thoughts of anxiety or anxiety.
Here, moods are our essential emotions, but they are not thoughts about the situation. Drs Greenberger and Padesky propose a simple way to differentiate between moods and thoughts. In a word, you can typically explain moods while thoughts are more nuanced.
For example, ‘I have pulled my suggestion before my colleagues’ might be thinking, while the corresponding moods could be an embarrassment, disappointment, rage, or insecurity.
Identify automatic ideas: Now write down the normal reactions you encountered when you sensed the atmosphere, or “automatic thinking.” In the above case, your thoughts may be:
• “I couldn’t remember these things?”
• “He hasn’t liked me since.”
• “He’s so rugged and upright!”
• “None of us likes me.”
In this case, “my analytical skills may not be good enough” and “nobody likes me” are the most distressing thoughts (“hot ideas”).
Find Objective Supportive Evidence: Identify facts to support your unconscious reasoning objectively. You might write the following in our example:
The goal is to look at what has happened objectively and then write down particular incidents or statements that contribute to your unconscious thoughts.
Find Objective Contrary Proof: Find and write evidence that is contrary to unconscious thought. This may be in the example:
• ‘The analysis was objective, and my idea was practical and well-founded.’Â
• ‘I was top of my class when I learned of the process of critical analysis.’Â
• ‘My customer values my research and my opinion.’
Such arguments are, as you can see, fairer and more logical than reactive thought.
Identify rational and reasonable thoughts: You looked at the situation from both sides at this stage. You will now know to make a rational and reasonable look at what happened.
If you are still unsure, speak to someone about the situation or try it another way.
Track your current mood: Now, you need a better view of the situation and will hopefully consider your attitude improved.
Then think about what you should do about the situation. (The situation may no longer be relevant when you take the balanced view, and you might conclude that you do not have to take action.) Eventually, make some positive statements that you can use to combat these unconscious thoughts in the future.
