Next, rate how much you believe each new thought, on a scale from 0% to 100%. Often, how much you believe your alternative/balanced thoughts is related to how much your moods have changed in the next step. Let’s say your hot thought is I’m always screwing up, and let’s say you had that thought after making a fairly minor mistake. These statements would be considered “credible evidence”: I won’t lie and tell you the thought record is an easy or fun tool to learn. I once did a thought record in which my stressful situation in Step 1 was filling out a thought record! Changing your thinking is a process that takes time, awareness, and energy. But the payoff for your hard work is profound – you can actually restructure the way your mind works (in fact, in CBT the process of changing your habitual ways of thinking is called cognitive restructuring). Over time you’ll automatically think in more balanced ways and have less extreme moods. Your usual hot thoughts either won’t arise, or you’ll dismiss or dispute them as soon as they rear their head. The book is best suited to individuals with low-risk symptoms of stress or anxiety, those usually managed in primary care, a valuable bit of ‘homework’, and in between mental health review appointments with the GP. Based on over 40 years of front-line research, this renowned book provides clinically proven strategies to help you manage your mind and the emotions that can so easily destroy your quality of life. Drs. Greenberger and Padesky show how your thoughts affect your feelings and teach step-by-step skills so you can free yourself from painful moods. The first edition of this book was a classic--the second edition is even better, and will be a trusted guide for even more people across the globe."--Mark Williams, DPhil, coauthor of The Mindful Way Workbook

Evidence that Does Not Support the Hot Thought: Now take off your defense lawyer hat and put on your prosecutor hat. It’s time for some cross-examination. Your hot thought likely has some holes in its story, and your job now is to find them. This step tends to be harder. Your evidence against I’m always screwing up might look something like this: There are 7 steps to completing the Mind Over Mood thought record. I’ll give you an overview, though this isn’t meant as a comprehensive guide. The workbook walks you through the process in more detail. One exercise involves writing out new behaviours linked to the individual’s new core belief based on what the book has taught them so far. For the indifferent user this could seem quite the task, if not a waste of time, but there are gains to be had with some persistence and patience. At best, this book is an engaging journey in reflection and active problem-solving leading to a better health outcome. At worst, it is a mere distraction. Realistically, it probably lies somewhere in between, but in any case it is likely to be a constructive use of time for the depressed or anxious patient — time that may otherwise have been spent in rumination. The end result of a thought record is a more balanced view. However, in my experience, the process of completing one can be just as beneficial as the end result. When you complete a thought record, you turn your attention inward and notice your thoughts and feelings. We are often so out of touch with ourselves that we have no idea what we’re really thinking or feeling. The process helps you slow down and identify what’s going on. When you bring such awareness to your internal experience, there’s often a spontaneous shift in how you feel. Steps to Completing a Thought Record

Mind Over Mood, Second Edition: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think

Firstly, if you’re looking into this book because of your battle with depression, anxiety, or something else distressing, I’m sorry. This may not be helpful to hear but in case it is, you’re not alone.

Dr. Dennis Greenberger is a clinical psychologist and founder and director of the Anxiety and Depression Center in Newport Beach, California. That last one may seem out of place, but I included it because I wanted to point out that you can do thought records for positive as well as negative situations. Contrary to popular belief, CBT isn’t about “positive thinking.” It’s about finding more balanced and objective ways of seeing the world – which in some cases might actually mean seeing things less positively. For example, say you meet a new romantic prospect, and within a few days you’re thinking “This person is perfect for me!” and “I’ve finally found the love of my life!” That’s a case where a little less optimism would probably be a good thing.Winner (Second Place)--American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award, Consumer Health Category Repeated practice filling out Thought Records actually helps you learn to think more flexibly. After completing 20 – 40 thought records, many people report that they automatically begin to think alternative or balanced thoughts in distressing situations without writing out a Thought Record. When you reach this point, you will experience fewer and fewer situations as truly distressing, and you can spend your energy on solving what problems remain and on enjoying yourself in more situations.” Who would enjoy this book? I have used Mind Over Mood in my clinical work with patients for 20 years and have found that the second edition is even more helpful than the first. It is a great book for adults and not such a great book for kids, as it is not written at their level, and as the clinical vignettes are about adults with adult problems. Mind Over Mood is an amazing resource that any adult could benefit from reading and practicing the exercises it contains. The worksheets in the book can be a helpful resource to work on with a therapist trained in CBT, especially because it can be hard for people to effectively complete a thought record on their own.

Be patient. Learning to do thought records probably takes about as much mental coordination as learning to ride a bike takes physical coordination. For beginners, it can be difficult just to distinguish between situations, emotions, and thoughts – much less identify automatic thoughts, figure out which is the hot thought, and collect and evaluate evidence. Be patient and keep at it. Thought records get easier as you go, and over time they become second nature.

To get personal: I have noticed some lasting differences. I’m not free of depression / bipolar, but I used to be more self-conscious and now I’m not as harsh on myself. For that I’m grateful. It) teaches you strategies, methods, and skills that have been shown to be helpful with mood problems such as depression, anxiety, anger, panic, jealousy, guilt, and shame.’

Cited as “The Most Influential Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Publication” by the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies and included in the UK National Health Service Bibliotherapy Program.Alternative/Balanced Thoughts: In this step, you switch to the role of judge. Weigh the evidence from both sides, and try to reach a fair and unbiased “verdict.” In other words, come up with a new thought or thoughts that represent a more balanced and realistic perspective. For example, in the I’m always screwing up case, you might draw these conclusions. As someone who has done cognitive-behavioural therapy with a therapist before, I can attest that this workbook pretty much is the therapy. It’s a fantastic book full of digestible information, concrete examples, real life stories to see the therapy in action, and techniques that are broken down into small steps. This is definitely a workbook, in that you can’t just read the book and expect to feel better; you have to do the thought records and other activities. Readers who want to learn skills for balancing their thoughts, having less extreme emotional reactions, lowering their anxiety and experiencing happier moods would likely enjoy Mind Over Mood. Who would not enjoy this book?