Core CBT Techniques

Below are 7 core Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy techniques anyone can use to help mitigate symptoms of depression and anxiety. For each: a one-line purpose, a short how-to you can do on your own, recommended frequency, and one practical tip for getting started.

1. Thought Record / Cognitive Restructuring

• Purpose: Identify and change unhelpful automatic thoughts that fuel low mood or anxiety.

• How-to: When you notice distress, write: Situation → Emotion(s) (0–10) → Automatic thought(s) → Evidence for the thought → Evidence against the thought → Balanced alternative thought → New emotion rating.

• Frequency: As needed, aim for 3–5 short entries per week.

• Tip: Start with one recurring worry or low-mood thought; practice on that until you can quickly spot distortions.

2. Behavioral Activation

• Purpose: Break cycles of avoidance and inactivity that deepen depression by intentionally scheduling rewarding or meaningful activities.

• How-to: Make a simple weekly plan of small, specific activities (e.g., 10‑minute walk, call a friend, cook one meal). Rate anticipated pleasure and mastery, then record actual outcome.

• Frequency: Daily micro-activities; a weekly planning session.

• Tip: Prioritize “mastery” and “pleasure” tasks; even 5–15 minutes counts.

3. Activity Scheduling with Values Alignment

• Purpose: Increase motivation and meaning by aligning daily actions with personal values.

• How-to: List 3–5 personal values. For the coming week, schedule one small action per value (e.g., value: connection → text a friend). Review at week’s end.

• Frequency: Weekly planning, daily execution.

• Tip: Make the actions tiny and specific so you’re more likely to follow through.

4. Behavioral Experiments

• Purpose: Test negative beliefs through planned, hypothesis-driven activities to gather real evidence.

• How-to: State belief as a testable hypothesis (e.g., “If I speak up, people will judge me harshly”). Design a small experiment to test it, predict outcome, run it, record what actually happened, and update belief.

• Frequency: 1–3 experiments per week for active beliefs.

• Tip: Keep experiments simple and record exact outcomes to counter generalizations.

5. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Skills

• Purpose: Increase present-moment awareness and reduce fusion with negative thoughts and sensations.

• How-to: Practice short (3–10 minute) mindfulness exercises: focus on breath, body scan, or noticing thoughts as “mental events” without acting on them. Label thoughts (e.g., “worrying”) and return to breath.

• Frequency: Daily short practices; longer sessions (20–30 min) when possible.

• Tip: Use cue-based micro-practices (e.g., before meals, at transitions) to build habit.

6. Activity Monitoring and Time Use Audit

• Purpose: Reveal patterns of avoidance, rumination, and unhelpful routines so you can reallocate time toward mood-boosting activities.

• How-to: For 2–3 days, log main activities in 30–60 minute blocks and rate mood and energy for each block. Identify patterns and set one change.

• Frequency: Short audits monthly or when feeling stuck.

• Tip: Use your phone timer for quick blocks; focus on trends rather than perfection.

7. Cognitive Defusion Techniques

• Purpose: Create distance from troubling thoughts so they have less control over emotion and behavior.

• How-to: Use simple exercises: say the thought aloud in a silly voice, place it on a “mental cloud” and watch it float away, or prefix it with “I’m having the thought that…”.

• Frequency: Use in-the-moment whenever thoughts feel overwhelming.

• Tip: Combine with mindfulness breathing to anchor yourself while defusing.

Quick guidance for safe use

• These techniques are practical and evidence-based but not a substitute for professional care. If you have severe symptoms, suicidal thoughts, or significant functional impairment, contact a mental health professional promptly.

• Start small, pick 2–3 techniques to practice consistently for 2–4 weeks, then add more as you gain confidence