Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

1. Automatic: they just pop into your head without any effort on your part.
2. Distorted: they do not fill all the facts.
3. Unhelpful: they keep you depressed, make it difficult to change, and stop you from getting what you want out of life.
4. Plausible: you. accept them as facts, and it does not occur to you to question them.
5. Involuntary: you do not choose to have them, and they can be very difficult to switch off.

In CBT therapy, your thoughts contribute your mood and behaviors. Here’s an example of how the cycle works with depression. When you are depressed, your thoughts tend to be more negative. Negative thoughts usually are “distorted” or not factual, which contributes to negative feelings and unhelpful behaviors.

1. You have self-defeating thoughts: “Things are too difficult. There’s no point in doing anything.”
2. Negative thoughts lead to self-defeating emotions: You feel tired, bored, discouraged, guilty, helpless and overwhelmed.
3. Difficult emotions lead to self-defeating actions: You stick to bed or avoid people, work or enjoyable activities.
4. You experience consequences of your behavior: You feel isolated from friends; feel inadequate; decrease productivity and sink deeper into an unmotivated state.

Here is an example of how self-critical thoughts lead to feelings of guilt and procrastination: 

1. Thoughts: “I shouldn’t be watching TV. I’m lazy and no good.”
2. Emotions: guilt, anxiety, self-loathing.
3. Behaviors: procrastination, binge eating.