Is it time to worry? Checklist for assessing your emotional state How do you practically know when to accept your feelings, when to express them, and when to change them? Cognitive psychotherapist David Burns, in his book, offers a checklist, a list of questions to help you decide:
- How long have I felt this way?
- Am I doing something constructive to deal with the problem, or am I just thinking about it wistfully, just to avoid dealing with it?
- Do my thoughts and feelings match reality?
- If I express my feelings, will it help me or make it worse?
- Am I upset about a situation that is beyond my control?
- Am I avoiding a problem by denying that I am really upset about it?
- Are my expectations of the world realistic?
- Are my expectations of myself realistic?
- Do I feel hopeless?
- Do I have low self-esteem?
