“Check the Facts" is an Emotional Regulation skill from Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Many emotions and actions are set off by our thoughts and interpretations of events, not by the events themselves. Our emotions can also have a big effect on our thoughts about events.
EVENT -> EMOTIONS -> THOUGHTS
EVENT -> THOUGHTS -> EMOTIONS
How to Check the Facts
Ask yourself these questions:
- What is the emotion I want to change?
- What is the event prompting my emotion?
- Ask: What are my interpretations, thoughts, and assumptions about the event?
- Ask: Am I assuming a threat?
- Ask: What’s the catastrophe?
- Ask: Does my emotion and/or its intensity fit the actual facts?
Purchase the DBT Mega Bundle at the bottom of this page to get the Check the Facts worksheet and tons of interactive worksheets.
