In order to start managing unhelpful thoughts or emotions, it is important that you are able to recognize anxiety.
- It is helpful to recognize when you are feeling anxious and how it is impacting you
- An easy way to do this is creating an emotional thermometer for yourself
The emotional thermometer is composed of three levels:
- Green – you are happy and stress-free
- Yellow – you are starting to become stressed and experiencing some negative thoughts and unhelpful symptoms
- Red – your anxiety is very high and you are experiencing irrational thoughts and high levels of physiological arousal
When you find yourself in the yellow or red areas, it is important that you are aware of these emotions. The next step will be to have a plan of action to address the anxiety you are experiencing.
Continue on to the next section: Reflection, Your Emotional Thermometer
