Page 131 - Advance Copy: Todd Kaufman, Author

HOW TO MANAGE ANXIETY & END PANIC ATTACKS
The Exercise: The Feelings Wheel
First, be clear about your Intention in doing this exercise:
1. Set your Intentional goal. (Hint: It is right before this sentence!)
2. Glance over the wheel and notice what event or thought pops up that clearly takes you to any point on the wheel.
For example: As I run through the wheel, the emotion Optimistic catches my eye. It does so because it is attached to my thoughts in this moment of how hopeful I am this book will change thousands of lives.
I call this the Attending Thought. The Attending Thought you notice in your brain does not have to be one that is immediately present with the emotion. For example, I may have first noticed the emotion Worry, and then had the following attending thought: I am worried about my client getting here safely this afternoon as it is a particularly nasty, cold, icy day here in Toronto.
Alternatively, you may find the thought comes first for you, and then the emotion on the wheel catches your eye. For example: I just emptied my full garbage can again because the cleaners did not do their job, and I’m Angry with them!
It is all good either way: The emotion can trigger the thought, or the thought might make your eye notice the emotion on the wheel.
3. Now that you have a starting point, notice the emotion.
When working the Feelings Wheel, the goal is to become the master of changing your emotions and feelings.
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