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What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
CBT is based on the idea that our feelings and actions are colored by the way we think and that we can learn to have more control over our feelings and actions. When we change our negative thoughts to be more balanced, we can change our perspective and mood for the better.
How to Use CBT
When you feel negative emotions come up, ask yourself the following three questions. This exercise is called Catch it, Check it, Change it.
CBT Exercise
- Catch it. What emotion(s) am I feeling? When negative feelings come up, identifying which emotion(s) you feel is the first step.
- Check it. Is the thought true? It can be easy to allow negative thinking to control our thoughts, but some of our thoughts aren't completely true.
- Change it. Is there another way to think about the situation? It can be helpful to ask yourself if there are alternative ways to think about the situation, other than your initial reaction.
When you’re depressed, it can feel like you’re in a dark cloud or looking at everyday situations through a negative filter. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on changing the negative thinking patterns that contribute to depression.
