Thought challenging — identifying and evaluating the automatic negative thoughts driving academic problems and skills — is the core skill of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Identifying Automatic Negative Thoughts in Academic Problems and Skills
Automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) in academic problems and skills are fast, involuntary, and often taken as facts. They drive academic problems and skills while remaining unexamined.
Common ANT patterns in academic problems and skills: catastrophizing, all-or-nothing thinking, mind-reading, personalization.
The Thought Challenging Process for Academic Problems and Skills
- Notice the thought: 'I just had the thought that...'
- Identify the distortion: What type of thinking error is this?
- Examine the evidence: What actually supports this thought? What contradicts it?
- Generate alternatives: What's a more accurate and helpful perspective?
- Rate the change: How do you feel now compared to before?
Building the Skill Over Time for Academic Problems and Skills
Initially, thought challenging requires deliberate effort. With practice, the mind automatically generates balanced perspectives when academic problems and skills-related thoughts arise.