The Cognitive Triangle
The cognitive triangle shows how thoughts, emotions, and behaviors affect one another. This means changing your thoughts will change how you feel and behave.
A situation is anything that happens in your life (this is what triggers the cognitive triangle).
Thoughts are your interpretations of a situation. For example, if a stranger looks at you with an angry expression, you could think: “Oh no, what did I do wrong?” or alternatively, “Maybe they are having a bad day.”
Emotions are feelings, such as happiness, sadness, anger, or worry. Emotions can have both physical and mental components, such as low energy when feeling sad or a stomachache when nervous.
Behaviors are your responses to situations. Behaviors include actions such as saying something or doing something (or, choosing not to do something).
