Module 4
To understand how to test your thoughts with an experiment, see Taylor’s example:
“I could not concentrate on my study.”
Here is an example of the first experiment Taylor did.
| 1) My thought (be as specific as possible, and rate how strong your thoughts and feelings are from 0 to 10): |
| If I hand an assignment in, I will fail because of my bad concentration (9/10). I will feel like a failure all day long, every day for a week (8/10). |
| 2) Experiment: Think of an experiment to test out the thought. |
| Hand one assignment in that I had been putting off submitting. |
| 3) Results: |
| When I submitted the assignment, I felt relieved. I passed even though my mark was not as high as usual, I will not have to repeat the class now. |
| 4) What I've learned: |
|
I didn’t fail. My feelings of being a failure were lower than if I had not submitted. |
| 5) My new thought (rate how strong your new thoughts and feelings are from 0 to 10): |
| If I hand in my assignments, I will not fail due to my concentration (8/10). I will feel like less of a failure if I submit (9/10). |
After the experiment, Taylor felt better. It’s important to try lots of experiments so we can reinforce new ways of thinking.
The next experiment Taylor did was to talk to the teacher. Taylor’s thought was “the teacher will judge me, not give me an extension on the next assignment, or be harsh”. Taylor tested this in an experiment by having a conversation with the teacher. The teacher was really understanding, granted an extension and suggested a study buddy. Taylor arranged a study buddy with a friend Al, and it was a huge help.
Taylor was also feeling different to friends since Nanna died and having thoughts like ‘my friends will think I’m weird if they know how upset I am’. To test out this thought, Taylor shared just a little bit of what was going on with Al in a study session who was really kind and also shared a bit about feelings of stress. It made Taylor feel less different and realise that Al didn’t think Taylor was weird.
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