The Miracle of
Mindful Eating
Master Class
ANT Therapy
Worksheet
Session 5
Summary of A.N.T. Species:
1. “Always” thinking: thinking in words like always, never, no one, every one, every
time, everything.
2. Focusing on the negative: only seeing the bad in a situation.
3. Fortune telling: predicting the worst possible outcome to a situation.
4. Mind reading: believing that you know what another person is thinking, even
though they haven’t told you.
5. Thinking with your feelings: believing negative feelings without ever questioning
them.
6. Guilt beatings: thinking in words like “should, must, ought or have to.”
7. Labeling: attaching a negative label to yourself or to someone else.
8. Personalization: innocuous events are taken to have personal meaning.
9. Blame: blaming someone else for your own problems.
Feed Your Anteater and Feel Better
Whenever
you notice an ANT entering your mind, train yourself to recognize it and
write it down. When you write down automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) and talk
back to them, you begin to take away their power and gain control over your moods.
Kill the ANTs by feeding your emotional anteater.
The Feed Your Anteater and Feel Better exercise is for whenever you
need to be in control of your mind. It is for times when you feel anxious, nervous,
depressed or frazzled. It is for times when you need to be your best. Whenever you
feel depressed or anxious fill out the following ANTEATER form.
EVENT: Write out the event that is associated with your thoughts and feelings.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
ANT
Species
Kill the ANT
(write out the automatic
negative thought)
(identify the type of
negative thought)
(talk back to the irrational
thoughts)
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
1. Whenever you feel sad, mad, nervous, or out of control, draw two lines
vertically down a piece of paper, dividing it into three columns.
2. In the first column, write down the ANTs going through your mind.
3. In the second column, identify the type of ANT. Therapists typically describe
nine different types of ANTs (see end of sheet for the 9).
4. In the third column, talk back, correct, and eradicate the ANTs.
Example:
ANT
Species
Kill the ANT
(write out the automatic
negative thought)
(identify the type of
negative thought)
(talk back to the irrational
thoughts)
I will never be happy again.
Fortune-telling
I am a failure.
Labeling
It’s your fault!
Blame
I am sad now, but I will be
happy soon.
I have succeeded at many
things.
I need to look at my part in
the problem.
Guilt beating
I will learn from my mistakes
and do better next time
Labeling
By focusing my energy I can
feel better & do anything I
want.
I should have done better.
It’s too late for me.