Module 6 · Emotional wellbeing

Worry, rumination & thought patterns

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Getting out of loops: worry, overthinking and the thoughts that keep them going.

By the end of this world

You will be able to tell useful thinking from loops, and have practical ways to step out of worry and rumination.

How worry works

• Worry vs problem solving — Problem solving ends in a next step. Worry goes round and round without one. (6 min · Beginner)
• Rumination: going round in circles — Replaying what went wrong feels like working on it. Usually it isn’t. (7 min · Beginner)
• Fact, interpretation, prediction or assumption? — Four kinds of thought that feel identical from the inside — and one question that sorts them. (6 min · Beginner)

Working with thoughts

• Catching thoughts as they happen — You can’t change a thought you haven’t noticed. How to catch the ones that drive your mood. (6 min · Beginner)
• The thought record — A structured way to test a painful thought against the evidence — a core tool of CBT. (8 min · Practising)
• The rules you live by — Beneath many hard moments sits an unspoken rule — “I must never let anyone down”. Finding it changes a lot. (7 min · Intermediate)
• Scheduled worry time — Postponing worries to a set daily slot, so they stop taking the whole day. (6 min · Practising)
• Shifting attention on purpose — Moving your attention off a loop and onto something you choose — a skill that grows with practice. (6 min · Practising)

Facing what you avoid

• Why avoidance keeps fear going — Avoiding what scares you brings relief now and keeps the fear alive. The idea behind gradual facing. (8 min · Intermediate)
• Behavioural experiments — Testing a fearful prediction with a small, safe experiment instead of arguing with it. (7 min · Intermediate)
• Living with uncertainty — Much worry is an attempt to make the unknown certain. Learning to tolerate not knowing. (7 min · Practising)
• When worry is more than worry — Signs that worry or panic has become something a professional can help with. (6 min · Beginner)

Anxiety, fear and panic

• Understanding anxiety — Anxiety is your alarm system working hard. What it feels like, why it happens, and why it is so convincing. (7 min · Beginner)
• Fear and anxiety: what is the difference? — Fear answers a danger in front of you; anxiety answers one that might come. Each needs a different response. (6 min · Beginner)
• What a panic attack is — A sudden rush of fear with a racing heart and a sense of danger. Frightening — and, once understood, less so. (7 min · Beginner)
• Getting through a panic attack — What to do while it is happening, and why fighting it or fleeing tends to keep it coming back. (6 min · Beginner)