You pick out a single negative detail and dwell on it exclusively, filtering out all positive aspects of the situation. Bad Thinking Diary Entry: "I gave a speech to 200 people who applauded, but one person looked at their phone, so it was a disaster."
| Day | Bad Thought | Distortion | New Thought | Mood Shift (1–10) | |------|-------------|------------|--------------|--------------------| | Mon | … | … | … | +3 | | Tue | … | … | … | +2 | | … | … | … | … | … | Bad Thinking Diary
Neuroscientists have found that when an anxious thought stays in your head, it loops in the amygdala (the fear center). It feels huge, fast, and dangerous. However, the act of writing forces the thought to move from the limbic system to the prefrontal cortex (the logic center). By writing it down, you slow the thought down. You turn a tornado into a sentence. Once it is on paper, you can see how illogical it is. You pick out a single negative detail and