Behavioural experiments to

challenge your doubt, worry

and what-ifs.
Overview: In this homework exercise, you will be asked to
conduct a behavioural experiment on one of your worries, doubts
or what-ifs that are keeping you from doing something you would
like to do or should do.

Please complete the following worksheet

Part 1: Take the quiz on types of negative thoughts, doubts, worries and what-ifs.
Everyone will have negative thoughts, doubts, worries and what-ifs from time to time. The first step in learning
how to control them is to be able to notice and name them. To find out what types of worries and negative
thoughts are most common for you, take the Type of Negative Thoughts Quiz here and record your answers in
the chart below.

Type of Negative Thought Score Example

Catastrophic Thinking
Hopeless thinking
Minimizing Accomplishments
Put Downs
Unfavourable comparison
___ / 15 Thinking that things are far worse than they actually are.
___ / 15 Thinking that you will never be able to do anything right.
___ / 15 Thinking that something you did well is no big deal
___ / 15 Calling yourself names, like worthless, stupid or ugly.
___ / 15 Comparing yourself to others in a way that is usually
unfavourable to yourself (e.g., I am not as good, not as smart,
not as interesting).

Now circle the type of negative thought that you are experiencing most frequently or would like to reduce or
manage more effectively.

Impact Score
Negative impact Score ___ / 15 Your impact score tells you the degree to which your
negative thoughts affect your life. Scores between 0 and 8
are in the minimum impact range. Scores above 8 indicate
that your negative thoughts are adversely affecting your
life and should be addressed with skills, such as fact-
checking or re-thinking.
Part 2: Write down three things that you have avoided doing in the past week.

Step 1: In class, you were asked to write down things that you have been avoiding in the past week. These are
activities, conversations, requests, etc., that you have put off or avoided because of fear or worry about how it
will go, what people will think, or what they might say, for example. Write down three things you have avoided
doing in the past week or two in the chart below.

Situation you avoided Worry, fear, doubt or No write down the more factual,
negative thoughts that more favourable, more positive
kept you from doing it. way of looking at the situation.
1.
2.
3.

Step 2: Then write down the worry, what if, negative thought or doubt that has kept you from doing it (in the
second column).

Step 3: Then fact-check or rethink the situation that is more favourable or more factual – so that you can
overcome your hurdle).

Step 4: Now go do one of them and record in the box below how it went.

Types and Impact of Negative Thoughts Questionnaire:

https://www.flexiquiz.com/SC/N/3bb822e9-70d2-47ff-b670-05ee768bba61

Please visit www.learningandwellbeing.ca

© 2022 D. A. Santor

Please visit www.learningandwellbeing.ca

© 2022 D. A. Santor