Thought Record - Debbie Featherstone | www.debbiefeatherstone.com

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Tinnitus | Stress | Anxiety

The following form can be used to replace the paper Thought Records used in clinic.

Where you are using Part 1 Thought Record only at this stage:

Please note, items 1 - 5 is Part One Thought Record - once you have learned to identify NATs (Negative Automatic Thoughts) including the hot thought several times over the course of one to two weeks, it will have prepared you to go on to use the Full Thought Record

Where you are using the Full Thought Record:

Please complete all items 1 - 5, followed by 6 - 10

Your email*

Date of record*

1) Situation: a brief summary that may include WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE...*

Example situation: Woke up at 5am - tried to get back to sleep but worrying about.....

2a) Your mood: what did you feel?*

Other - please state alternative

Rate this mood, feeling or emotion. It is likely to be high if you are just beginning*

2b) Your mood: what else did you feel?*

Other - please state alternative:

Rate this mood, feeling or emotion. It is likely to be high if you are just beginning:*

2c) Your mood: what else did you feel?

Other - please state alternative:

Rate this mood, feeling or emotion. It is likely to be high if you are just beginning:

What was going through your mind just BEFORE you started to feel this way?

These "thoughts" are vehicles that carry NEGATIVE MEANING, thus causing you to feel negative emotion. They are short, their meaning comes from your subconscious and you are starting to learn to identify them. They are called "Cognitive Distortions" i.e. "distorted thinking".

3) Here is a list of common "Cognitive Distortions": mark any of them you realise you are using

All or nothing thinking
Over-generalisation
Filtering out the positive
Jumping to conclusions
Mindreading
Predicting the future
Magnification of the negative
Minimising the positive
Catastrophizing
Emotional reasoning
Should / must statements
Labelling
Self-blaming
Other-blaming

4) List the 'meaning-carrying' thoughts (Negative Automatic Thoughts - NATs) - or images - that were going through your mind JUST BEFORE you started to feel this way. They will be short and to the point. They come in "quotation marks" because you are saying them to yourself*

Common examples of "meaning-carrying thoughts" (NATs - Negative Automatic Thoughts):
"My life is ruined"
"I can't live like this"
"This won't work for me" (using CBT/therapy)
"My ******* (e.g. anxiety, fear, tinnitus) is SO BAD, it must be different to other people's"

5) Choose which ONE of the above NATs was the strongest. Which had the MOST power and influence? Type it in to the box below "WITH THE QUOTATION MARKS" - it is your "HOT THOUGHT":*

Where you are currently working on Part 1 Thought Records ONLY, please scroll down to the bottom of this page and press SEND. You should receive a copy of your record above by email.

Where you are using the FULL THOUGHT RECORD, please continue with the following:

6) What is the EVIDENCE that supports the Hot Thought? List any ACTUAL EVIDENCE that makes your Hot Thought true. Be forensic and thorough with this. If there is NO EVIDENCE that makes it true, state "None":

7) What is the EVIDENCE that DOES NOT SUPPORT the Hot Thought? List all the "forensically thought-out" evidence you can think of. Refer back to your "Cognitive Distortions" (item 3 above) as they will help you with this:

Review the evidence that you have documented in (6) and (7) about your Hot Thought. Add anything you may have missed.

8) What could be an ALTERNATIVE, more balanced, rational thought to REPLACE your Hot Thought? Reflect on the evidence for, evidence against, and the Cognitive Distortions you used earlier to replace the Hot Thought with your ALTERNATIVE, rational thought:

Example: Hot Thought: "My life is ruined"

After forensically examining the EVIDENCE for and against this thought, an alternative more balanced thought may be "I am struggling and have been for some time, however, there are good things happening in my life too. I already have some tools to help me, and they are working e.g. the breathing exercise I am doing regularly each day is definitely helping me to feel calmer than I did. I went out with a friend on Saturday, and enjoyed it more than I expected to. So there are some good times. Telling myself "my life is ruined" is not true."

9) Rate out of 10 (10 is high) how much you believe this ALTERNATIVE, RATIONAL thought to be true and accurate?

10) Now, re-rate your original mood(s), emotion(s), feelings from 2a, 2b and 2c:

Emotion/feeling 2a (Please type it in the box)

Original score (2a)

Re-rate % score (2a)

Emotion/feeling 2b (Please type it in the box)

Original score (2b)

Re-rate % score (2b)

Emotion/feeling 2c (Please type it in the box)

Original score (2c)

Re-rate % score (2c)

Well done! You have completed your Thought Record - thank you!

If you have any comment to add about either your record, or more in general about using this electronic version of a Thought Record, please add your comments in the box. Then press SEND. A copy of your record should arrive in your email.