A very powerful tool
A way to understand our emotions and behaviors …
The Cognitive Triangle
This is a very powerful triangle. Consistent use of this triangle often leads to better relationships, less stress, better health, and increased life satisfaction. It may look simple but mastering its use takes time and willingness. I know of its power because I use it to help myself. Want to know how?
In any given situation it is easy to see how I behave and I can often tell how I feel. However, sometimes I do not understand why I feel the way I feel or do the things I do. It is puzzling to me when I am sure of something but nothing works out. It is also very strange when my actions do not match with my goals or what I say I believe. When this happens, I use the triangle to figure out the thought behind the sequence of emotions and behaviors.
I stop and write. The magic of writing is that it places the limitation of grammar on my flow of thoughts. If you only think you will doom yourself to repeating the same thoughts over and over and taking longer to figure things out. Therefore, because I don’t have all day, I sit and write.
I do this in one of two ways, I use the triangle and write in each corner or I journal and describe the event that I am trying to figure out first and then use the triangle. I describe the situation as a combination of thought, emotion, behavior. Once I have “thought” written, then I dare to challenge it. The challenge is to my thought, not to me, because I am not my thoughts.
What I have discovered is that when things are not working out my automatic thoughts were not logical or helpful. Ooops! The good thing is that I can modify what I think. And if I discover that my automatic thoughts were logical then I am more confident that I have a real problem in my hands. No worries, I can problem-solve.
Now that I shared this very powerful tool, I hope you give the Cognitive Triangle a try. Here are some resources. If you need help with this just let me know.
Simple worksheet to download
https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/cbt-triangle.pdf
Good example of using the triangle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4tAHKn6Sz4
Your advocate,
