Hi Brooke. I just coached myself through discomfort, and I pulled all your tips and tricks together to make it happen in the moment. I wanted to share the experience and get your feedback so I can do it again and even better next time this happens.

C: Something negative happened
T: Unclear what the thought was (I couldn’t hear it in my own head)
F: Stress
A: Scan for all the things stressing me out and build a giant list of stressors (*I started here and worked the model backwards after I saw this is was the behavior I demonstrated)
R: Build up more stress

But what was the thought? I did a thought download, and still couldn’t figure it out. I wrote my husband an email with my giant list and then called him and went on a walk. We talked it out.

Light bulb!
C: Something negative happened
T: What did I do / not do that could have prevented this? (This is my fault.)
F: Shame, guilt, panic, stress
A: Find all the things I did wrong
R: Implode emotionally at list showing me all my stress, run to food for comfort

But I stopped it right there, because I figured out the thought.

New thought:
C: Something negative happened
T: This is not my fault. Negative things happen.
F: Relief — decompression of stress
A: Go back to work
R: Move on

I think I got it. I was listening to “How to Feel Better” yesterday / today… and it was just perfect timing to put it into practice. Any feedback?