In ordinary life, feelings usually follow a thought (there are rare exceptions, like a split-second fear response during a near-accident).
Emotions show up in the body—tight chest, tense shoulders, knotted stomach—so they’re easier to notice than the quick thought that sparked them.
Linking emotion → thought gives you data about your mind and creates room to choose a different response next time. For now, we’re collecting data, not fixing—awareness first.
Pick one recent emotion. Choose something you felt today or yesterday (e.g., a spike of worry before a meeting).
Locate it in your body. Name the sensation (pressure in chest, tight jaw, hollow stomach).
Ask: “What thought might have generated this feeling?” Write the first honest line that comes up—even if it sounds messy or dramatic. You will get an answer.
Log it in your table. Keep using the same thought-tracking table from the previous exercise so patterns emerge over days.
Done. No need to fix it yet. We’re mapping the territory before we change routes.
Emotion: Unease before writing
Body: Tightness behind eyes, shallow breath
Thought: “I don’t have a good example; I’ll look foolish.”
Notice how naming the thought instantly explains the feeling—and points to kinder, more useful alternatives you can try later.
Keep it specific. “They hate me” → “My boss didn’t reply to the message I sent at 4:12 pm.”
One feeling at a time. You’re training accuracy, not volume.
Trust first answers. The mind moves fast; your first line is often the real one.
After a few days, review your entries and circle repeating thoughts. Those loops are the best candidates for gentle rewrites and small behavioral experiments (covered in the next exercise). For now, keep collecting—awareness is intervention #1.
— Sandro Formica, PhD
Founder of Permanently Happy (questions at [email protected])
Keynote Speaker | Transforming Leaders & Organizations Through Positive Leadership & Personal Branding | Director, Chief Happiness Officer Certificate Program
