Challenging Anxious Thoughts

 “What am I thinking right now?”

 “What is making me feel anxious?”

 “What am I worried will happen?”

 “What bad thing do I expect to happen?”

1. Am I falling into a thinking trap (e.g., catastrophizing or overestimating danger)?

2. What is the evidence that this thought is true? What is the evidence that this thought is not true?

3. Have I confused a thought with a fact?

4. What would I tell a friend if he/she had the same thought?

5. What would a friend say about my thought?

6. Am I 100% sure that ___________will happen?

7. How many times has __________happened before?

8. Is __________so important that my future depends on it?

9. What is the worst that could happen?

10. If it did happen, what can I do to cope with or handle it?

11. Is my judgment based on the way I feel instead of facts?

12. Am I confusing “possibility” with “certainty”? It may be possible, but is it likely?

13. Is this a hassle or a horror?