Empowered Mood Shift Worksheet

A bad mood at two in the afternoon usually has a thought underneath it, and that thought is usually running unexamined. This worksheet finds it and puts it on trial.

What's inside

1. Find your zone. Four colour-coded emotional zones, with words to choose from: calm and focused at one end, panic and the urge to yell at the other
2. Set a timer for three minutes and write down every thought that turns up
3. Read them back and mark the ones that could be causing or feeding the feeling
4. Challenge each marked thought with eleven questions

The questions start where you'd expect: is it true, and can I be completely sure? They get sharper. What does holding on to this thought do for me? Am I going to let it dictate my mood for the rest of the day? Will this matter three years from now?

It takes fifteen minutes or so, and it works best on an ordinary bad day, with one mood and one page.

That is also its limit. It is a self-coaching exercise for everyday low or irritable moods, and not a substitute for professional support. If your mood has been low for weeks, see your GP. If you ever feel unsafe, call Samaritans on 116 123 (UK).

PDF, instant download, and yours to use as often as you like. If it doesn't help, email me within seven days and I'll refund you.