Activity 1

This activity will examine your basic assumptions about emotions; that is, what emotions mean to you, what it means to express them, and what would happen if you allowed yourself to feel particular emotions. The purpose of this is to uncover any false or misleading beliefs that you have which may be having a negative impact on your well-being.

As per the instruction for the activity, choose one particular difficult emotion to work with. Perhaps choose an emotional state you are struggling with at the moment; for instance, you might be feeling anxious about an upcoming event, or regretful about a recent transgression. Write down the emotion you have chosen to work with in the center of the person outlined in the Core Beliefs About Emotions worksheet provided in the reading.

Read through the below list of common false beliefs about emotions and see which resonates most with you. Place a check mark next to those statements that are true for you. Pay particular attention to those that sound familiar, as these may be thoughts that exist outside your awareness. Please add any personal beliefs that are not listed at the end. Then, write down your core beliefs about emotions in the thought bubbles outlined in the Core Beliefs About Emotions worksheet.

What impact do these beliefs have on how you feel, behave, and talk to yourself when faced with this emotion? Write down as many outcomes (positive and negative) as you can think of in the Consequences section of the Core Beliefs About Emotions worksheet.

Post a journal entry on ClickUP outlining the following:

i. How was it to do this exercise?

ii. Looking at the consequences part of the exercise, how adaptive is it for you to hold such beliefs about your emotions?

iii. What was easy or difficult about the exercise?

iv. What insights have you gained about your beliefs about emotions?