By putting your thoughts in writing, you will be able to see your thoughts and emotions a little differently. The thought record should include a section about the situation, the automatic thought, and the emotion, and a separate section that reflects on the pros-and-cons, and another possible way to think about the situation. Your thought record should help to answer all these questions:What actually happened? Include where, what, when, and how.
What thought went through your mind? Create rating scale of how much you believed it was true such as from 1-10 or 1-100.
What emotion did you feel? Rate the intensity using a scale.
What has happened to make you believe this thought is true?
What has happened to disprove this thought?
What is another way to look at this situation?
How would you rate your mood after reviewing all these questions? Use a scale.
 Just like when making an argument, your thinking may have pros and cons, or different ways of seeing the same thing. Think about the alternative ways of seeing a situation, or how to imagine a different approach or reaction to the situation.Open your mind up to other possible outcomes or ways of thinking.
Identify alternative ways of thinking about a situation that are possible or believable to you.
Consider asking someone you trust to identify different ways of thinking about the situation. Does that other person understand the problem or situation in a different or more positive way? Listen closely to those alternatives.
 Think about something that you enjoy or enjoyed in the past, or something that you may want to accomplish but have not done yet. Consider activities that are possible or achievable possibly in the short term. Reimagine activities as small, doable goals.Consider scheduling one pleasant activity a day. It can be a different one each day, the same, or combination of a few. Make these activities small, but something that you can look forward to doing.If you used to play music in a band and want to be a musician again, think about activities to start with, such as playing music once a week at home. Set aside time when you can play with few distractions.
 Create an action plan. Consider writing down your goal, and then writing out your small steps. Think about the steps you need to take in the next week, month, or year, and create a timeline of how each step follows the next one.Look for alternative options or behaviors to accomplish a goal if there are barriers.
For example, a successful businessman has a physical disability that makes it difficult to continue working. He may have a goal to be working again. Consider an alternative goal of being productive, and then the plan will have more options than barriers. He may be able to teach others about business, talk with students about how to be an entrepreneur, or be productive by providing advice or guidance to his family.
 Use a daily calendar to monitor your emotions throughout the day. Consider making a "schedule for your emotions" by writing down what you are feeling every 3-4 hours. Look at any patterns that you see over time.Do you always feel bad at the beginning of the day and then by 12 noon you're feeling good? Think about any triggers between those times.
Or vice versa, do you feel good in the morning before work, but by 2pm each day you're feeling miserable? Identify if there were specific things or events that occurred.
 Once you have learned to identify triggers that lead to negative thoughts and behaviors, you will be more self-aware about how to activate the brain. The moment you have a negative thought, use that moment to evaluate the truth behind that thought, and what may be a different way to approach it.Come up with positive and self-affirming statements that you can remember. Use these positive statements to guide you when your anxiety or depression is triggered.
Use positive affirmations about yourself, your life, and the world around you. Identify positive things, even if they are small, that can help to train your brain to think positively.
Create a thought record.
Develop balanced thinking.
Identify pleasant activities.
Take action and engage in those activities.
Monitor your mood at different times of the day.
Replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
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