Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Track mood ratings through the day. Begin to see the variation and its triggers.

Catch the thought that just flashed by. The first observable layer.

Five-column or seven-column record. Situation, thought, feeling, evidence, alternative.

Catastrophizing, all-or-nothing, mind reading, personalization. Naming reduces grip.

List the actual evidence supporting the thought and contradicting it.

Schedule small pleasurable and mastery activities even before motivation returns.

Generate the balanced alternative thought that fits all the evidence.

Notice the deeper templates underneath automatic thoughts — unlovable, defective, abandoned.

Hierarchy of feared situations, worked one rung at a time. Habituation is the mechanism.

Test a belief by acting against it and gathering data. Doing changes believing.

Engage with the most fundamental beliefs — about self, others, world, future.

Place yourself on a line between extremes — failure to success — instead of an all-or-nothing point.

Allocate slices of responsibility for an event to everyone involved. You're usually overweight.

Map your warning signs and your responses in advance. Future-you needs the plan.

Develop a stable internal coach voice that meets the inner critic. Speak to yourself as you would to a friend.