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Break the Pattern: Your Guide to Using the CBT Triangle

If you’ve ever spiraled after one Slack message, shut down mid-task, or felt stuck in the same emotional loop week after week—this tool helps you name it, map it, and shift it. 

The CBT Triangle is one of the most widely used tools in both therapy and performance coaching—because it works. Whether you’re using it solo, with a coach, or in therapy, it helps you clearly track how your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors keep reinforcing each other—and gives you a way to break the loop.  


WHAT IS THE CBT TRIANGLE

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a science-backed method developed in the 1960s by psychiatrist Dr. Aaron Beck at the University of Pennsylvania.  

At its core, CBT is about this: 


CBT TRIANGLE

Thoughts → Feelings → Behaviors → Repeat 


  • You have a thought. 

  • That thought creates a feeling.

  •  That feeling drives an action (or avoidance). 

  • And that action reinforces the next thought. 

  • When left unchecked, it becomes automatic—and exhausting. 

  • But the good news? You can interrupt the loop at any point.  

 

 HOW TO USE THE CBT TRIANGLE 

Step 1: Pause + Name the Trigger Event 

Pause + Name the Trigger Event 

 






Start with a recent moment where you felt off. Overwhelmed, snappy, avoidant, flat-out fried.  Examples:  

  • You avoided a task you care about 

  • You got irrationally angry over a small thing 

  • You froze, snapped, or spiraled


Step 2: Fill in the Triangle  


Fill in the Triangle 








Draw the triangle. Or just write it out like this: 

  • Thought: What went through your mind? (Even if it’s harsh or irrational) 

  • Emotion: What did you feel? (Name the emotion, don’t judge it)  

  • Behavior: What did you do or avoid doing?  


Step 3: Spot the Loop

Spot the Loop







   

Now zoom out: Is this a recurring loop? 

Example Loop: “I’m falling behind” → panic → avoid the hard thing → feel more behind → spiral 

These aren’t just bad days—they’re burnout patterns.  

 

Step 4: Rewire One Side  

Rewire One Side  






 

  • Replace the thought: What’s a more useful truth? 

“I’m falling behind.” 

👉 Replace with: “I’m overwhelmed, not failing. I can take one clear step.”  

  • Shift the emotion: What action might help ground you?  

Feeling panicked?  

👉 Regulate with: Breathwork. A walk. Journaling. Calling your chaos buddy. 

  • Change the behavior: What’s one different thing you could try?  

Avoiding again? 

👉 Try: Set a 20-minute timer. Block Slack. Say “not today” to one extra task. 

 

You don’t need to change your whole mindset. Just interrupt one piece of the triangle. 

mbi burnout

  

WHY THIS WORKS

CBT is one of the most studied therapeutic frameworks out there. Used by clinicians, coaches, therapists, and mental health platforms around the world, it’s built on a simple idea: 

Change your thoughts, change your outcome.  Or change your actions, and your thoughts will follow. 

It’s flexible. Foundational. And deeply neuroplasticity-friendly. 

You don’t need a mindset makeover—just a small plot twist in the loop. That’s how rewiring begins.  

 


References & Further Reading 

  1. Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy - The official home of CBT, founded by Dr. Aaron Beck himself. https://beckinstitute.org 

  2. John Hopkins Study on Talk Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder - Talk Therapy – Not Medication – Best for Social Anxiety Disorder, Large Study Finds | Johns Hopkins | Bloomberg School of Public Health 

  3. The Happiness Trap by Dr. Russ Harris - The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris - Audiobook - Audible.com.au 

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