Definitions
What is a "body clue" and give an example.
A body clue is a hint our body gives us that we are experiencing a given emotion (e.g., our hearts may beat fast when we feel scared)
Fill in the blank:
Although you may sometimes feel like your emotions come out of nowhere, emotions always have a _____
Trigger
Seeking reassurance/giving ourselves reassurance
Apologizing
Avoiding
What is a thinking trap?
Evaluating similar situations in the same way again and again despite facts and experiences suggesting they may be different
What is one example of a "detective question" you can ask when evaluating automatic interpretations or thoughts?
Am I 100% sure ___ will happen?
What evidence do I have for this fear/belief?
If a feared outcome happened, could I cope with it?
What happened in the past in this situation?
What are "automatic interpretations" and "alternative interpretations?"
Automatic- the process of interpreting a situation without thinking
Alternative- an interpretation that takes a different, more balanced or more realistic view
What are the 3 parts of an emotion?
Thoughts, physical sensations, & behaviors
What are some examples of "sensational exposures?"
Get dizzy, hold your breath, hyperventilate, spin, do intense exercise, get disoriented
What is the "thinking the worst" thinking trap? Give an example.
The tendency to think that the worst possible outcome is going to happen.
Thinking that something must be true because we "feel" (actually believe) it so strongly, ignoring or disbelieving evidence to the contrary.
What is the skill, "opposite action?"
Noticing what an emotion wants you to do and acting in a different or opposite way.
What is the term for "the thing our emotion is telling us to do?" In other words- the thing our emotions tell us to do automatically so we don't have to spend time thinking about what to do...
Emotional Behavior
What is the process of habituation?
When, by allowing uncomfortable emotions to just be there, without trying to get away from the thing triggering the emotional experience or do something to lessen the emotional experience, our uncomfortable emotion gradually becomes less intense
What is the "jumping to conclusions" thinking trap? Give an example.
Thinking that the chances of something bad happening are much greater than they actually are.
How do we practice present-moment awareness or mindfulness?
Notice it: wordlessly notice your environment and emotional experiences
Say something about it: label the details of your experience our loud or to yourself
Experience it: use all of your senses to fully experience the moment without distractions
What are S.M.A.R.T. goals (i.e., what does the acronym stand for)?
Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound
Identify the trigger, thoughts, physical sensations, and behavior in the following example:
It's Thursday and you have to get a tooth pulled on Monday. You feel a bit worried and your anxiety begins to build. You start thinking about it even more over the weekend, and the more you think about it, you start to feel nauseated. On your way to the dentist, you try to stall.
Trigger- have to get tooth pulled
Thoughts- worrying/thinking about over weekend
Physical feelings- nauseated
Behavior- stalling
Give some examples of exposures to anxiety
Going to a social event you usually avoid
Asking for help
Breaking a rule
Making a mistake
Being the center of attention
What is the "ignoring the positive" thinking trap? Give an example.
The tendency to focus on the negative parts of a situation.
Name at least 3 categories of activities we can use to do "opposite action" when feeling down or bored.
Service, fun, social, mastery, physical
How do we do an "emotion-focused behavioral experiment?"
Change our behavior and observe the impact on our emotions
Name at least 4 reactions our bodies may have own we experience a fight-or-flight response
Fast-beating heart, flushing or becoming pale, a slowdown in digestion, tightening of muscles (caused by increased blood flow to those muscles), shaking, sweating
Explain how avoidance maintains anxiety in the long-term.
Because we learn that avoiding uncomfortable situations makes us feel better quickly, we may keep doing that over and over again. The problem with avoidance is that we never learn that situations or emotions we feel are dangerous are not actually harmful, and they will pass on their own. We also don't learn that we can experience strong emotions and tough situations but still get through them.
We call the process of re-evaluating our automatic thoughts _______ because we want to think about our interpretations or hypotheses the way a ______ might.
Detective; detective thinking
Name the most helpful thing you learned in group!
:)