Handling the Hot Thoughts: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Writing
Although I am a professional writer and educator, writing
does not always come easy for me. When I am facing a bad case of writer’s block,
I rely on a psychotherapy technique I learned from a therapist: cognitive
behavioral therapy.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy
developed by Dr. Aaron Beck in the 1960’s (Greenberger & Padesky, 1995).
This therapy treats stress, depression, and anxiety by helping a person to
identify and challenge their negative thoughts (Greenberger & Padesky,
1995). With practice, CBT can help a person to automatically identify negative
thinking and turn thoughts from negative to positive.
Note: This blog provides just a summary of CBT, but you can
find more information on the topic from Greenberger and Padesky’s book Mind Over Mood (1995). Before I jump into using CBT for writing anxiety, please know
I am not trained in any kind of therapy or mental health care. These are just
tips I have found to be helpful when I’m battling my own writing anxieties.
Step 1: Identify your situation and mood (Greenberger &
Padesky, 1995)
The first step in using CBT for writing is to identify the
situation and how you are feeling (Greenberger & Padesky, 1995). For
example: Last week I was struggling to write a work assignment that asked for
my personal opinion. In this example, the situation was a work assignment, and
I felt nervous and insecure about providing my personal opinion. Because of
these feelings, I found myself procrastinating on the assignment.
Other examples of situation and mood may include:
- You’re writing a major assessment for a course and you have no idea where to start. You pored over research, but you are putting off writing because you feel overwhelmed.
- You’re almost done with an annotated bibliography. The annotations and entries are done, but now you are stuck on the introduction. You’re feeling anxious about finishing this assignment because it is worth such a large percentage of your course grade.
Step 2: Identify your automatic thoughts and the hot thought
(Greenberger & Padesky, 1995)
As you are identifying your situation and mood, where do you
find your thoughts going? For my work assignment, my automatic thoughts
included: “I will have to turn this assignment in late. My coworkers will be
upset with me. Everyone will think I am terrible at my job.” Yikes! My thoughts
went to a pretty extreme place. In my automatic thoughts, “Everyone will think
I am terrible at my job” is definitely the hottest or scariest thought.
Using the same situations and moods as above, here are some
examples of automatic and hot thoughts:
- “I have no idea how to start this paper, because I am not good at writing. Hot thought: Whatever I turn in will be terrible.”
- “I have no idea what to write for this introduction. What if I finish this assignment and I get a terrible grade? Hot thought: If I get a terrible grade, my overall course grade will drop.”
Step 3: Identify evidence that does not support the hot
thought, and instead, develop an alternative thought (Greenberger &
Padesky, 1995)
I could have let my automatic thoughts continue to spiral,
but I was able to stop and counter my negative thinking by looking for evidence
to support my hot thought. Did I have any proof that my coworkers thought I was
terrible? My coworkers had always been very supportive of my work. They had given
me praise and encouragement on many projects. There was no evidence to support
my hot thought. I had never turned in an assignment late before, and I knew I
could still make the deadline because I had performed this kind of task in the
past! My alternative thought or my positive, rational idea was, “I might have
to ask for an extension, but I have to try first.”
Here are some examples of looking for evidence that does not
support hot thoughts and alternative thoughts:
- I have never turned in a terrible paper before. While I may have done poorly on some writing assignments in the past, I was able to revise my writing and learn from the experience. Alternative Thought: I am confident in all the research I have done. I can freewrite my first draft and then get help from the Writing Center.
- So far I have not received a bad grade in this class. In fact, my instructor has been happy with my writing. Alternative thought: I may be stuck now, but I will begin by outlining my introduction. If I am still struggling with writer’s block, I will reach out to my instructor for feedback.
Ultimately, CBT is about addressing the negative thoughts
that hold us back, and turning them into positive thoughts that move us
forward. By working through this process, we have to slow down and rationalize
our worst fears. More often than not, these fears are unfounded. With time and
practice, applying CBT to your writing anxieties may happen automatically.
Reference
Greenberger, D., & Padesky, C. A. (1995). Mind over
mood. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Tasha Sookochoff is a writing instructor in the Walden University Writing Center. Along with earning degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Stout and Depaul University, Tasha has written documentation for the U.S. House of Representatives that increases government transparency, blogged for DePaul University, copy-edited the Journal of Second Language Writing, tutored immigrants and refugees at literacy centers, and taught academic writing to college students.
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Reading this blog, I have to ask, " at what point does a student know writing is just not the right path - subject to be pursuing?"
ReplyDeleteStaring at a blank paper, overwhelmed ! This could be an indication you are meant for something else; your gift of passion lays elsewhere !? And, you should be considering your alternatives.
Hey, sometimes we have to try a few things before we discover our true passions. And we have to know in our heart what that may be. Our friends , co-workers, and instructors really can not make that decision for us.
But, struggling to move forward in a discipline you truly do not belong, sure with positive thinking (CBT)you might make the finish line, but than what? You find yourself in a career you were not meant to be, and worse, now you have become a writing instructor and your students suffer because deep down you do not belong as a writing instructor(or what ever wrong career path you choose; heaven forbid, a doctor !).
So where and when do we decide- " enough is enough.. this just ain't for me ?"
Enjoyed the blog !
WaldenU Guest,
Jeff
Winnipeg, Canada
Thank you so much for this thoughtful comment, Jeff. You're right that sometimes challenges can mean that we should take a step back and question our current trajectory. As to your question about when and how to make that decision, that's probably when trusted advisors, both academic and otherwise (and perhaps even therapists) might be useful. When making such a big decision, it's important to be guided by your true desires and talents rather than by fear and imposter syndrome.
DeleteThe thing to remember with this post is that most Walden students are not pursuing careers in writing. Instead, they need to use writing to pursue their academic and career goals. The strategies in this post might truly help them overcome writing challenges and live their passion.
Very good point !
DeleteUnderstanding the mechanics of writing (APA citations etc.), and having a developed ability to thoughtfully express one self using good format and style, is a welcome asset in many career.
Also, I agree with the strategies you have presented; and these strategies can be helpful in many areas throughout ones life. It truly is amazing how thoughts and words can either encourage or discourage; and greatly effect the outcome. The old saying, "sticks and stones.. but words will never hurt" is a bit of a fallacy.
Thank you for your reply.
Jeff
It is indeed important to remember the power of words and language! Thanks so much for reading our blog, and providing your insightful thoughts Jeff!
Delete