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[//Click on colored text to navigate// ] Welcome! This exercise is for those who are anxious about an upcoming event and want to work through their thoughts. [[I'm good and ready to work through my thoughts |Let's work through them together.]] <div class="sectionedtext"> If you are more in crisis - and are not in the mindset to work through your thoughts, you are encouraged to: 🗨️ Take care of yourself by giving yourself a break, a snack, a bath, etc. 🗨️ Reach out to a trusted person for personal support 🗨️ Use other means of relieving your anxiety such as (link:"Breathing Exercise")[(gotoURL:"https://mindfuldevmag.com/breathing-timer/")] or (link:"Muscle Relaxation")[(goto-url:"https://youtu.be/9GURt2pvdAg?si=LO8VF4jfwuwL-MGG")))] 🗨️ If needed, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at (800)-273-8255 or Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. </div>

Tell me about the situation you are anxious about. (input-box: bind $thesituation) [[Done|Thought Specification]]

Let's categorize this thought you have: Your thought: (color: gray)[//$thethought//] [//Select the category of anxious thinking that "Your Thought" follows.// ] [[Predicting the Future]] - You are trying to predict the future, instead of waiting to see what will happen. [[Focus on the Negative]] - You're focusing on the negative things that could happen. [[Personalization]] - You're blaming yourself for what's happening. [[Over-Generalizing]] - Based on one incident in the past, you believe a future event will follow a similar pattern. [[Mind Reading]] - You are //negatively// assuming what others are thinking.

You are trying to predict what will happen, instead of just letting it happen. This may not be the most productive use of time, as we don't have control over what will happen no matter how much we ruminate about it. We can stop this anxious thinking by distracting ourselves and [[being more in the present]] //OR// We can work through this anxious thinking to help relieve it. (click-replace: "work through this anxious thinking to help relieve it.")[work through this anxious thinking to help relieve it. What do you think may happen? (input: bind $thoughts) [[Finished writing|Challenge Disaster Thinking]]]

You are anxious because you believe anything negative that will happen is your fault. What exactly are you blaming yourself for? What are your thoughts behind this? (input-box:bind $thoughts) [[Finished writing |Personalization Continued]]

Let's talk about some positives. By thinking about the potential positives of the situation, we can reframe our thinking of the situation, easing our anxieties! //For example, getting lunch with that new person is an opportunity to make a new friend. And you've been wanting to make new friends for a while. This lunch is a great opportunity to practice your social skills!// Understood (click-replace: "Understood")[Now you try- You said: (color:gray)[ //$thethought//] Write some potential positives of the situation. (input-box:bind $positives) [[Finished writing |Focus on the Negative Continued]]]

You believe that this social event will be a repeat of something that happened in the past. [[Let's talk through that past event. ]]

You said (color:gray)[//$thethought//] Is there reason for you to believe what you're thinking is true? [[Yes, something/someone has proven it before|Proven Mind Reading]] [[Now that I think about it, no...|Costs and Benefits]]

Nicely done. Would you like to talk about the negatives? [[Yes, let's get it out]] [[No, I can focus on the positives]]

Great! I'm glad you're focusing solely on the positives. This was to help remind you that even though there were negatives in the situation, there are good outcomes as well. And not everything will be positive, and that's a completely normal fact of life. Everything comes with a risk, but the tradeoffs can be really great. Especially if you are trying to improve your skills with your social anxiety, risking the negatives for the positives is a huge, impressive step to take. We're glad you're doing it! [[Ending]]

You said earlier: (color:gray)[ //$thethought//] What are the potential negatives of the anticipated social situation? (input-box: bind $thoughts) [[Finished writing|Challenge Disaster Thinking]]

Would you like to talk about another specific thought? [[Yes|Let's work through them together.]] [[No, I'm done]]

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You said: (color:gray)[//$thoughts//] What is the worst outcome that could happen from this? //Come up with scenarios of what would happen 5 minutes, 5 days, 5 months after the event.// (input-box: bind $worstoutcome) How would you feel if this happened? (input:) Finished writing (click-replace: "Finished writing")[Has this outcome happened before? Has your worry been validated? [[Yes, something/someone has proven it before.]] [[Now that I think about it, No actually...]] [[Not sure|Check the Evidence]]]

Relieving to see that nothing has validated this thought you have. It's safe to assume that maybe it's not so reasonable to think this. (click-replace: "reasonable to think this.")[reasonable to think this. But it is still scary to have these thoughts, and you are perfectly normal for having them. Everyone has irrational thoughts. If your anxiety is still lingering, try [[distracting yourself]] or [[meditating/relaxing your body|Finished]] to help ease your anxiety. [[Finished]] ]

I'm sorry this happened to you. But even if it happened once doesn't mean it will happen again. Let's try to [[relieve|Over Generalization]] this validated anxiety with some tactics.

(color:gray)[//$thoughts//] Reflect more about this by answering these questions: What factors of this do you actually control? Can you control other people's reactions? (input-box: bind $factors) Are you responsible for the outcomes? Are you responsible for how these people feel or react based on what you blame yourself for? (input-box: bind $responsibility) Finished (click-replace: "Finished")[Does answering these questions help you see the bigger, less dreadful picture? [[Yes!|Finished]] [[No, I do still think it's my fault...]] ]

What happened in a past event? (input-box: bind $pastevent) Finished writing (click-replace: "Finished writing")[What do you think will happen again this time? (input: bind $thoughts) [[Finished writing]]]

You think (color:gray)[//$thoughts //] will happen again. If it happened again, what would be the absolute worst outcome? //Come up with scenarios of what would happen 5 minutes, 5 days, 5 months after the event.// (input:bind $worstoutcome) Finished writing (click-replace: "Finished writing")[ Do you think it is realistic to believe that this "worst outcome" will happen? [[Yes!! |Opposite Overgeneralization intro]] [[Now that I think about it, No actually...]] [[Not sure|Check the Evidence]] ]

Unfortunately, you realize your worries have been validated. In this case, it's important to direct your focus to positives instead of the negative: ☁️ You've had social interactions that went well. Whether it's with close friends you are no longer anxious with. ☁️ Not every social interaction will turn out the same. Think about some interactions you have frequently (ex. greeting someone by saying "hi" or "good morning"). They don't all have the same outcome. So [[let's try something else|Over Generalization]]

We can try a tactic called "Opposite Overgeneralization" <hr> For example, Let's say you were upset at yourself because (text-color:gray)[//There was some awkward silence in that conversation. I wish I had the social skills to relieve it.//] You could switch it up by thinking: (text-color: gray)[//Even if I had the social skills to improve that conversation, the conversation wouldn't have been "perfect." What even is a perfect conversation, anyways?//] <hr> Usually, our overgeneralization is negative. If we flip it around to a positive overgeneralization, it helps us realize not everything is so black and white. Imagine if the perfect scenario were to happen, it wouldn't make or break your future, just like you think the worst case scenario would. Got it. (click-replace: "Got it.")[You said you were worried about (color:gray)[//$thethought //]happening. Turn it into a positive overgeneralization. (input: ) Finished (click-replace: "Finished")[This is meant to help you combat your over-generalized anxious thinking by focusing on the positives instead of the negatives! [[Finished]]]] [[Can we try a different way? |Reframing]]

You can also try REFRAMING. Reframing can help with anxious thoughts and feelings by thinking about the situation from a different perspective. Instead of focusing on how we're feeling, stating facts of the situation can relieve our anxieties and help us feel more confident. For example: Instead of thinking: (text-color:gray)[//I messed up that presentation. I'm a terrible student.//] You can come at it from a different angle: (text-color: gray)[//I'm a student. I'm here to learn.//] Try it. (click-replace: "Try it.")[Now you try it. You said: (color:gray)[ //$solution//] (input: ) [[Finished]]]

Hope this CBT-inspired interactive exercise helped you! <hr> Here are a few additional resources in case you want more support. ☁️<a href="https://mindfuldevmag.com/breathing-timer/"; target="_blank">Breathing Exercise</a> ☁️<a href="https://youtu.be/O-6f5wQXSu8?si=gDt6L6AJr5tctKxb"; target="_blank">Meditation for Anxiety</a> ☁️<a href="https://youtu.be/9GURt2pvdAg?si=LO8VF4jfwuwL-MGG"; target="_blank">Muscle Relaxation</a> ☁️<a href="https://www.anxietycanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Social-Confidence-Visualization.pdf"; target="_blank">Visualization Tactic for Social Anxiety</a> ☁️<a href="https://youtu.be/vQxTUQhVbg4"; target="_blank">Pick-Me-Up Video for the Good Work You've Done with Your Anxiety</a> <hr> [[Next|Ending]]

You answered: (color: gray)[//$thesituation//] Let's break this down. (click-replace: "Let's break this down.")[Let's break this down. Summarize the situation into a single sentence about what you are anxious about. (input: bind $thethought) //What do I write?// (click-replace: "What do I write?")[Here's some prompts to help you: ☁️ I'm nervous about this because... ☁️ I think ___ will go wrong. ☁️ Because of ____, I think ___ will happen. ] [[Continue]] ]

Let's help you decipher whether your anxious thinking has been validated before. You believe (color:gray)[//$worstoutcome //] will happen. Do you have any evidence to support this prediction? //Reflect on whether these predictions are supported by facts or feelings. Do you have the whole picture, or could there possibly be more that you're not seeing in front of you?// (input-box: bind $evidence) [[Finished|Check the Evidence Final]]

Now that you've given it a bit more thought... Do you think it is realistic to believe that this "worst outcome" will happen? [[Yes!! |Opposite Overgeneralization intro]] [[Now that I think about it, No actually...]]

Perhaps the reason why you don't feel better about this is because you're too harsh on yourself. (click-replace: "too harsh on yourself.")[too harsh on yourself. What would you say to a friend who felt this? (color:gray)[//$thoughts//] (input: ) Finished writing (click-replace: "Finished writing")[See, you were probably a bit more forgiving to your friend than yourself. Others will most likely think the same way towards you... //Try: Saying what you would've said to your friend to yourself.// [[Done|Finished]]]]

There are many ways to distract your anxious thinking: You can do something you enjoy, such as your hobbies, <a href="https://youtu.be/O-6f5wQXSu8?si=gDt6L6AJr5tctKxb"; target="_blank">meditating</a>, listen to music, watch a video or movie. And while you're doing this, if your anxiety comes back, remind yourself that ruminating on your thoughts doesn't change the outcome [[Alright, I'm done then! Going to do something distracting|Finished]] [[Go back to working on my anxious thinking|Predicting the Future]]

I'm sorry this happened to you. But even if it happened once doesn't mean it will happen again. Was something said to you to prove this "mind reading" is true? [[Yes|True Mind Reading]] [[No actually...|Now that I think about it, No actually...]]

What was the past situation in which your anxious thought was proved? (input-box: bind $evidence) Finished writing (click-replace: "Finished writing")[ I'm sorry to hear that this was negative thing was said to you. But it's important to realize not every single situation is going to follow the same pattern: ☁️Every person is different, each person is going to respond differently and have different opinions: ☁️ There are a lot of different factors that affect a way a person responds (ex. their mental well-being, how that specific day went for them). Overall, It is important to remember it is not your fault. Optional: Write to reflect on some ways that the negatives of this past occurrence were not your fault or under your control. (input-box: bind $solution) [[Next|Finished]] ]

Here are some suggestions to distract your anxieties: ☁️ Listen to music ☁️ Watch tv or a video ☁️ Talk to a loved one (if you're up for it) ☁️ Do any of your hobbies or something you enjoy! [[Finished]]

That's great to hear that your thought hasn't been validated before. I'm sure you are still feeling anxiety and having this thought. So let's think about it in a different way: (click-replace: "different way:")[different way: Answer this question: ''What are the costs and benefits of having this anxious thought? '' Examples: A benefit could be you are protecting yourself from the worst that could happen by ruminating on what you would do if the worst did happen. A cost is that you are just feeling more anxiety. Benefits (input-box: bind $benefits) Costs (input-box: bind $costs) Finished writing (click-replace: "Finished writing")[ Did you have trouble thinking of benefits of your anxious thinking? [[Yup!]] [[Nope]] ] ]

Glad to hear! Remind yourself that - This thought is only heightening your anxiety and affecting your performance/functioning. [[Done|Finished]]

Since you could come up with a benefit, reflect on this: ''Is your benefit worth your cost? '' For example, is it worth being anxious over the next few hours than potentially protecting yourself over the worst thing that could happen? (Maybe this "worst thing" won't even happen at all) Your benefit: (color:gray)[//$benefits //] Your cost: (color:gray)[//$costs //] //Use the box below to write down your thoughts.// (input-box: bind $thoughts) Finished writing (click-replace: "Finished writing")[ With some thinking through, you may find that the benefit isn't worth the cost. What do you think? [[You're right! Benefit isn't worth the cost|Yup!]] [[I'm too worried about this worst outcome]] ]

Okay, let's [[work on this worst outcome.|Challenge Disaster Thinking]] (set: $thoughts to $thethought)