Nowadays, many people think that the circumstances they encounter in daily life directly influence their emotions. For instance, it may seem reasonable to believe that an unpleasant experience, such as making a mistake or getting criticism, causes emotions like anger, sadness, or fear. However, psychological perspectives show that the connection between circumstances and our emotions is more complicated.
According to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), there is a close relationship between thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. According to this viewpoint, people's thoughts about a situation can affect their emotions, which can also affect their behaviours towards the situation.
Thoughts influence emotions and behaviours
People's emotional reactions frequently intensify when they view circumstances negatively or in an excessively critical manner. For example, someone may experience discouragement, embarrassment, or anxiety if they make a mistake and instantly believe, "I'm not good enough." The way an incident is interpreted can significantly affect the emotional experience, even when the problem itself is not critical.
People may react in ways that exacerbate their bad emotions when they are reinforced by them. For instance, someone who feels incapable may avoid possibilities or challenges out of a fear of failing. This avoidance behavior may eventually reinforce their self-defeating beliefs, resulting in a cycle where emotions, thoughts, and behaviours keep influencing one another.
How CBT Helps Us Think, Feel, and Act Better
Through Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), people can learn to identify negative patterns and reframe them. They can start to form more balanced viewpoints by challenging whether their thoughts are useful or truthful. Emotional reactions frequently become easier to control when thoughts become more realistic and healthy. As a result, behaviours may also change for the better, such as taking on challenges rather than avoiding them.
Recognising the relationship between thoughts, emotions, and behaviours can be a crucial first step in enhancing general well-being. People can alter their thought patterns by becoming more conscious of the ways in which these three components interact. These adjustments may eventually result in better well-being in daily life.
Share your wellness journey and stand a chance to win prizes up to RM2,000! Find out how to join here. T&Cs apply.
Hon Xin Yan (honxy218@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.