Once you identify the hot thought, you’ll be able to effectively examine whether your anxious response makes sense, given the
situation. The “downward arrow” technique is a simple strategy that you can use to identify your hot anxious thought (Burns 1980). To identify your hot thought, look at a few of your ARC Worksheets (see exercise 2.1). Write your anxious thought (automatic appraisal) on the first line of the Identify Your Hot Thought Worksheet (exercise 5.1), and then ask yourself several questions:

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