Session 3

Handouts
02

Worksheet 2.3: Breaking Down My Emotions

Trigger: Emotions Experienced:

Feelings in My Body

What I Do What I Think

 Emotion Twister

This is an emotion twister. When an

emotion is intense, the individual parts
of that emotion (i.e., thoughts,
physical sensations, behaviors) may
quickly build on one another and start
to blur together. Remembering that
there are several separate parts to
any emotion will help us figure out
which skills to use to reduce these
emotion twisters.
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Examples of Avoidance Behaviors Related to LGBTQ-Related Stress
Avoidance Behavior Original Helpful Result Current Unhelpful Result
Avoiding Protected against Leads to loneliness and
straight/cisgender people, discrimination and harm from missed opportunities to make
even those who may be straight/cisgender people new friends and have social
affirming and safe, because who were, in fact, harmful. support.
you learned in the past that
straight/cisgender people
could be discriminatory,
harmful, or stigmatizing.

Avoiding expressing your
true self, because you
learned that wearing the
clothes you really want, or
using your real pronouns led
to bullying from peers or
rejection from family.
Protected against very real
risks, like bullying or being
kicked out of the home by
your parents.
Long-term self-silencing can
lead to loneliness, anxiety,
and not standing up for
yourself (i.e., being
unassertive).

Pushing down unpleasant Protected against being Always pushing down

emotions, because you
learned in the past that those
emotions were too
overwhelming and you
couldn’t handle it, or others
responded negatively when
you did express them.
overwhelmed in the short- emotions can lead to lots of
term. negative long-term outcomes,
including tension in your
body, anxiety, and difficulty
expressing your needs or
feelings to others.
 21
Form 2.1: Tracking the Before, During, and After

Each week, you will be asked to track the Before, During, and After of your emotional experiences.
In order to change your emotional experiences, it is important that you understand the patterns that
may occur (e.g., what triggers your emotional experiences, what happens as a result of your
emotional experiences). This form will help you understand these patterns. By keeping this
form and referring back to it later, you will start to see how changing one part of the pattern can
change everything.

What happened Before? What happened During? What happened After?

(What was the trigger?) (What was your emotional response to the trigger?) (What were the consequences of
your emotional responses?)
Thoughts Feelings Behaviors Short Term Long Term