Understanding CBT: Rainy Days
Ever have a day where it's rainy and gloomy outside and you have the thought “Wow, what a gross day”?
Think about how you felt that day… Were you sad? Annoyed because your plans were changed? Perhaps you were even feeling depressed. And then what did you do that day? Were you as productive as you would’ve liked to have been? Subsequently, at the end of the day did you have judgments on the perceived lack of motivation and accomplishments you had completed?
This scenario noted above is the vicious cycle that we can identify through the use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT utilizes the framework that informs us that our thoughts affect our feelings which subsequently affect our actions. This cycle can go positively just as well as it can go negatively.
When we struggle with depression and/or anxiety, oftentimes it is because we are falling into thinking traps (i.e. cognitive distortions) that negatively skew our perceptions of reality.
For example, another way in which one could perceive a rainy day is the following. Notice the rainy weather and having the thought “I’m happy my plants are getting watered” which could then lead to feelings of relief, happiness, or perhaps just simply feelings of neutrality. Subsequent actions that would follow include going about your day in a more neutral way. Perhaps you would even get an umbrella to go inspect how your plants are doing!
Keep in mind, that the goal of CBT is not that we never have negative thoughts. That would actually be counterproductive and quite impossible! Or that we adopt a “positive thoughts only” mentality which also can be destructive. Rather, the goal is what we do with our thoughts after we have them. We want to increase mindfulness surrounding the thoughts we have so that we can then begin to implement psychological flexibility surrounding negative and rigid thinking.
Next time the rain comes, whether literally or figuratively speaking, notice the thoughts you’re having and work to create a more “gray” (i.e. neural) thought instead should the original thought be negative. Notice the difference that makes in how you feel and the actions you engage in!
