I’m a CBT Therapist… here is my top tip to challenge negative thoughts that everybody could benefit from

By William On Nov 26, 2023

A cognitive behavioral therapist has shared some advice she gives to clients when they’re struggling with negative thoughts.

CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) aims to reduce the symptoms of mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety disorders. It can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave.

The video by Alex Hirdwho goes by the name @alexhird96 on TikTok has been seen by more than 50,000 people in less than 24 hours.

The clip is captioned ‘A CBT therapist’s tips for challenging negative thoughts’ and Alex shares a technique that she thinks ‘anyone could benefit from’.

The therapist explains: ‘Today I was preparing a session on cognitive restructuring, which is a very nice way of saying that thinking is challenging.

A cognitive behavioral therapist has shared some advice she gives to clients when they’re struggling with negative thoughts

‘This is a technique that I think everyone would benefit from, because when you think about how many thoughts we have in a day, our thoughts flow like traffic.

‘So we have hundreds of thousands of thoughts every day and if you imagine your ears are the entrances and exits, they come and go as they please.

“What we find when we have a negative situation or a stressful situation can lead to what we call in therapy, negative automatic thoughts, and that’s like having a traffic jam in your head.”

Expanding on the analogy, she adds, “Where your thoughts should enter and exit, we hold and focus on a thought based on a situation that created them.

“For example, let’s say I go to work and make a mistake. That situation can make me think that I am not good at my job, not good enough, not competent.

“The nature of those thoughts, one not very nice, two quite destructive. “I’m not good enough” is a horrible thought and a global statement.

‘It comes across as quite factual, so if someone carries that thought and doesn’t challenge it, it’s like being stuck in a traffic jam and not being able to move forward. If we have these thoughts and don’t challenge them, we can’t move on with our lives in a nice positive way.’

The therapist gives an example where the same person who made a mistake can come home and drop his or her food on the floor.

Alex Hird’s video, who goes by @alexhird96 on TikTok, has been viewed by more than 50,000 people in less than 24 hours

How does CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) work?

CBT is based on the concept that your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and actions are connected, and that negative thoughts and feelings can keep you stuck in a negative cycle.

It aims to help you deal with overwhelming problems in a more positive way by breaking them down into smaller parts.

You will be shown how to change these negative patterns to improve the way you feel.

Unlike some other talking treatments, CBT addresses your current problems, rather than focusing on issues from your past.

We look for practical ways to improve your state of mind on a daily basis.

If CBT is recommended, you will usually have a session with a therapist once a week or once every two weeks.

The treatment course usually lasts between 6 and 20 sessions, with each session lasting 30 to 60 minutes.

SOURCE: NHS

She explains how that could reinforce the earlier thought: ‘I can’t do anything right, I’m not good enough’:

“Situations like this build up because we don’t question the thoughts, and then the thoughts we have about ourselves become more believable and factual.

‘What we always inform clients about during sessions is that just because you think something doesn’t mean it’s true. It’s not factual, it’s essentially a very nasty opinion that we have.

“If I was giving a speech and someone in the crowd laughed, my thoughts would automatically go to ‘they’re laughing at me, they don’t like me.’

‘It’s not a nice thought to carry around, because then how could I see myself? I could say that I never want to give a speech or put myself out there again.

‘But if we ask people carefully why do you think they could laugh? Well, they could have laughed at you because you didn’t look nice, or because you stumbled over your words, but they could also have laughed because someone walked past them or someone said something funny.’

The TikToker then instructs viewers on what to do if they have these thoughts.

She advises, “If you’ve been in a negative situation lately that has caused you to internalize a negative thought about yourself or the situation, I want you to start by saying, ‘Just because I think something doesn’t make it true. is’.

Thoughts are not factual, they are just nasty opinions we can sometimes have about ourselves.’

Her second tip is to “bring evidence” to the situation: “What supports the truth of the thought I have about myself? So it could be that they laughed at me when I gave that speech, or that I made a mistake at work.

‘Yes, that’s right, but you also did your work very well last week and received good, positive feedback.

‘Analyze what supports that thought, but then also look at the shades of gray that you are not currently looking at.’

“What’s another way I can look at this situation or challenge that thought?”

The CBT therapist concludes: ‘I hope this helps people in some way. I think sometimes there can be so much negativity.

“Don’t let these thoughts stop you from doing what you want to do. Just because you think something doesn’t mean it’s true.’

Commenters were quick to share how the advice helped them, writing, “No, I needed this tonight, I started a new job today and my anxiety has been messing me up all day!”

One viewer added: ‘Oh I needed this today! My ADHD is running wild. Challenging fact versus fiction is my favorite thing I’ve learned in CBT’.

Another said: ‘Always think about these kinds of thoughts. Sometimes they get stuck at an intersection full of traffic,” while another wrote, “I love this and needed it today.”