This is your opportunity to put on your detective’s hat and search for evidence that supports and doesn’t support your thought. Like a detective, you’ll be searching for solid facts to put into your columns. If you don’t think a piece of evidence would hold up in a court of law, then it’s likely not a good candidate to be added to one of your evidence columns. For instance in a courtroom, a witness saying, “Judge, I may not have seen the person who committed the crime or been anywhere near the crime scene, but I just feel that he did it,” would not be admitted as evidence. That’s the same here, emotions (“I just feel it”), thoughts, or “just becauses” don’t count.
People can have a lot of difficulty finding evidence to put into the evidence columns. If you’re one of those people, don’t worry and certainly don’t give up. Below are some questions that you can ask yourself to help find evidence.
- What information might someone who knows me well point out?
- If someone else were in the same situation, what might I say to them?
- Are there any small bits of information that I’m overlooking or discounting?
- When I’m not feeling this way, have I looked at a similar situation any differently?
- Are there any strengths about myself that I’m overlooking?
Now after looking at all the evidence you’ve collected, is there another way of interpreting the situation? How much do you believe the new thought? Next, rerate your mood. Has there been a change in how strongly you’re feeling a particular emotion?
It is possible that after collecting all the relevant evidence that you find that your original interpretation was correct. If that’s the case, that’s fine. Now you’re in a position to engage in some problem solving to address the situation.