myStrength™ Tool
Goal Worksheet
When you want to improve your physical health or lose weight, you start with simple goals. It’s the same with
this mental wellness program. Take some time to visualize and record the answers to these four questions.
Can you imagine where you'll be, how it will look and sound and feel, who will be with you? The more details
you include, the better. This Goal Worksheet can serve as a simple, continual reminder of what you hope to
accomplish.
Today’s date:
What will your life look like without anxiety?
What new opportunities will you take advantage of when you feel better?
How will you think, feel, and act in your work, relationships with others, and relationship with yourself when you
feel better?
Which two people can you call on to support you through this change?
The road to improving your mental health will have ups and downs. Having this Goal Worksheet close by will
remind you of what you’re aiming for.
From the myStrength Anxiety Module
YOU CAN DO THIS
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myStrength™ Tool
Thought & Feeling Log
Just as what you do affects how you feel, so does what you think affect how
you feel. Negative thoughts can quickly spiral into an anxious thought cycle.
To break this cycle, you need to:
• Slow it down.
• Take a snapshot of the negative thoughts.
• Begin to look at how accurate and rational they really are.
To help you do this, you’ll use the Thought & Feeling Log. It’s similar to the
Activity & Mood Log in the last module, except instead of recording what you
do, you’ll record what you think.
Start by thinking about a particular event that recently kicked off an
anxious cycle.
Next, record the thought this event triggered. Start your thought with “I tell
myself…”
What feelings are triggered by these thoughts?
From the myStrength Anxiety Module
RECOGNIZING YOUR ANXIOUS THOUGHTS
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myStrength™ Tool
Thought Sorter Tool
Anxious thoughts may arise from illogical or irrational ways of looking at
the world. Often, they can be organized into limiting categories of
thinking that most of us, often unknowingly, participate in. Being able to
categorize these self-defeating thoughts quickly is an important skill for
beginning to manage anxiety.
Take some time to think about a recent event that triggered feelings of
anxiety. Capture the event, thought, and feeling in this log like you did in
the last module. The next step is to label the thought by selecting one of
categories described below to label your recent self-defeating thought.
Today’s Date:
Start by thinking about a particular event that recently kicked off an
anxious cycle.
Next, record the thought this event triggered. Start your thought with
“I tell myself…”
What feelings are triggered by these thoughts?
What are the categories?
Over generalizing: When over generalizing, you tend to make a universal conclusion based on a single event or
very few factors, jumping from one instance to all instances in the future. Some words that indicate you may be
over generalizing include every, none, never, always, everybody, and nobody.
Magnifying: If you magnify the negative, you’re likely to blow unpleasant events out of proportion and dwell on
them. Small mistakes immediately become overwhelming failures. Simple constructive comments become
scathing criticisms. You can’t let the thought go, and you keep replaying the event in your head. If you’re thinking
this way, you might use words like huge, overwhelming, and impossible, along with a very pessimistic tone.
Catastrophizing: Catastrophizing combines magnifying with over generalizing. It describes how people
exaggerate the negatives in a real or imagined situation. This type of thinking often starts with What if..?
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myStrength™ Tool
Dichotomous thinking: This is also called black and white thinking. Dichotomous thinkers insist on either/or
choices, looking at life at the extremes. You’re good or bad, worthy or unworthy, intelligent or stupid. Since your
interpretations are extreme, your emotional reactions are extreme, too, from complete elation to deep despair.
Filtering: Filtering is characterized by a sort of tunnel vision, looking at only one element of a situation and
excluding everything else. Through this selective perception, you magnify the significance of your flaws, faults,
and weaknesses.
Mind reading: Mind reading involves projecting more into a situation than is actually there. You make snap
judgments. You assume you know how others are feeling and what motivates them. And you make assumptions
about how people are reacting to you.
Using “Should”: In this pattern, you operate from a list of inflexible rules about how you, and other people,
should act. Your rules are right and indisputable. Any deviation is bad. As a result, you often judge others and
find fault. Your “Shoulds” are just as hard, and often harder, on you than on other people. Often you feel
compelled to be or act a certain way. But you never ask objectively if it really makes sense.
Personalizing: There are two kinds of personalization. The first involves directly comparing yourself with other
people. The second is thinking that you’re completely and primarily responsible for everything bad that happens
around you.
From the myStrength Anxiety Module
CATEGORIZING YOUR ANXIOUS THOUGHTS
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myStrength™ Tool
Reality Check Tool
As you continue to identify your anxious thoughts, the next step is to use
reason to test their validity. Chances are good that they won’t hold up to
scrutiny and they’ll gradually begin to change.
The Reality Check Tool will help you see whether your self-defeating
thoughts have a solid foundation. Use it like past tools: Start with a recent
anxious thought, record it, categorize it, and then question it using the
Reality Check Tool questions listed below.
Today’s Date:
Start by thinking about a particular event that recently kicked off an
anxious cycle.
Next, record the thought this event triggered. Start your thought with
“I tell myself…”
What feelings are triggered by these thoughts?
What is the evidence for this?
Is this always true?
Has this been true in the past?
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myStrength™ Tool
What are the odds of this really happening (or being true)?
What is the very worst that could happen? What is so bad about that?
What would you do if the worst happened?
Are you looking at the whole picture?
What are the categories?
Over generalizing: When over generalizing, you tend to make a universal conclusion based on a single event or
very few factors, jumping from one instance to all instances in the future. Some words that indicate you may be
over generalizing include every, none, never, always, everybody, and nobody.
Magnifying: If you magnify the negative, you’re likely to blow unpleasant events out of proportion and dwell on
them. Small mistakes immediately become overwhelming failures. Simple constructive comments become
scathing criticisms. You can’t let the thought go, and you keep replaying the event in your head. If you’re thinking
this way, you might use words like huge, overwhelming, and impossible, along with a very pessimistic tone.
Catastrophizing: Catastrophizing combines magnifying with over generalizing. It describes how people
exaggerate the negatives in a real or imagined situation. This type of thinking often starts with What if..?
Dichotomous thinking: This is also called black and white thinking. Dichotomous thinkers insist on either/or
choices, looking at life at the extremes. You’re good or bad, worthy or unworthy, intelligent or stupid. Since your
interpretations are extreme, your emotional reactions are extreme, too, from complete elation to deep despair.
Filtering: Filtering is characterized by a sort of tunnel vision, looking at only one element of a situation and
excluding everything else. Through this selective perception, you magnify the significance of your flaws, faults,
and weaknesses.
Mind reading: Mind reading involves projecting more into a situation than is actually there. You make snap
judgments. You assume you know how others are feeling and what motivates them. And you make assumptions
about how people are reacting to you.
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myStrength™ Tool
Using “Should”: In this pattern, you operate from a list of inflexible rules about how you, and other people,
should act. Your rules are right and indisputable. Any deviation is bad. As a result, you often judge others and
find fault. Your “Shoulds” are just as hard, and often harder, on you than on other people. Often you feel
compelled to be or act a certain way. But you never ask objectively if it really makes sense.
Personalizing: There are two kinds of personalization. The first involves directly comparing yourself with other
people. The second is thinking that you’re completely and primarily responsible for everything bad that happens
around you.
From the myStrength Anxiety Module
CHALLENGING YOUR ANXIETY
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myStrength™ Tool
PRRS Practice Tool
A powerful way to begin to manage your mood, PRRS—which stands for pause, reason, respond, stabilize—
organizes many of the tools you’ve used in previous modules into one simple process. Follow these four easy
steps each time you’re confronted with anxious thoughts and feelings.
Step 1: PAUSE
Recognize the anxiety cycle: Capture the triggering event, thought, feeling, and self-defeating category.
Start by thinking about a particular event that recently kicked off an anxious
cycle.
Next, record the thought this event triggered. Start your thought with
“I tell myself…”
What feelings are triggered by these thoughts?
Step 2: REASON
Challenge your anxious self-talk: Confront thoughts of helplessness, worthlessness, and hopelessness with logic
and rational thinking.
What is the evidence for this?
Is this always true?
Has this been true in the past?
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myStrength™ Tool
What are the odds of this really happening (or being true)?
What is the very worst that could happen? What is so bad about that?
What would you do if the worst happened?
Are you looking at the whole picture?
Step 3: REVISE
Develop realistic and balancing thoughts: Use reason to counter illogical, self-defeating thoughts and develop
healthier, rational ways of thinking.
Step 4: STABILIZE
Build healthy habits: Consistently replace anxious thinking with neutral, rational thoughts to build more healthy
routines.
What are the categories?
Over generalizing: When over generalizing, you tend to make a universal conclusion based on a single event or
very few factors, jumping from one instance to all instances in the future. Some words that indicate you may be
over generalizing include every, none, never, always, everybody, and nobody.
Magnifying: If you magnify the negative, you’re likely to blow unpleasant events out of proportion and dwell on
them. Small mistakes immediately become overwhelming failures. Simple constructive comments become
scathing criticisms. You can’t let the thought go, and you keep replaying the event in your head. If you’re thinking
this way, you might use words like huge, overwhelming, and impossible, along with a very pessimistic tone.
© 2011 myStrength.com. All rights reserved. Do not distribute, copy or exchange without permission from myStrength.com
myStrength™ Tool
Catastrophizing: Catastrophizing combines magnifying with over generalizing. It describes how people
exaggerate the negatives in a real or imagined situation. This type of thinking often starts with What if..?
Dichotomous thinking: This is also called black and white thinking. Dichotomous thinkers insist on either/or
choices, looking at life at the extremes. You’re good or bad, worthy or unworthy, intelligent or stupid. Since your
interpretations are extreme, your emotional reactions are extreme, too, from complete elation to deep despair.
Filtering: Filtering is characterized by a sort of tunnel vision, looking at only one element of a situation and
excluding everything else. Through this selective perception, you magnify the significance of your flaws, faults,
and weaknesses.
Mind reading: Mind reading involves projecting more into a situation than is actually there. You make snap
judgments. You assume you know how others are feeling and what motivates them. And you make assumptions
about how people are reacting to you.
Using “Should”: In this pattern, you operate from a list of inflexible rules about how you, and other people,
should act. Your rules are right and indisputable. Any deviation is bad. As a result, you often judge others and
find fault. Your “Shoulds” are just as hard, and often harder, on you than on other people. Often you feel
compelled to be or act a certain way. But you never ask objectively if it really makes sense.
Personalizing: There are two kinds of personalization. The first involves directly comparing yourself with other
people. The second is thinking that you’re completely and primarily responsible for everything bad that happens
around you.
From the myStrength Anxiety Module
BREAKING THROUGH ANXIETY
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myStrength™ Tool
Daily Fitness Log
The Daily Fitness Log is a simple tool to guide your fitness program. Use the Daily Fitness Log to keep track of
the date, time and duration and type of exercise you engage in each day. Rate your level of satisfaction (high,
medium, low). Also, if you fail to exercise when you intended to, record the reason. Review your Daily Fitness Log
each week to identify positive trends and areas of focus for the coming week.
Date
Exercise/Reason for Not Exercising
Duration
Satisfaction
From the myStrength Anxiety Module
BUILDING A STRONG BODY AND A STRONG MIND
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