The following is the C.B.T. (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) Equation

Your Thoughts = Your Feelings = Your Behaviors

Thoughts/Beliefs = Feelings = Behaviors = Results/Reality

The Chain Reaction: How It Works

Step 1: Thoughts/Beliefs

• What they are: Mental interpretations, assumptions, stories, or judgments about ourselves, others, or the world.
• Key point: Thoughts are not reality—they’re our meaning-making filter.
• Where they come from: Past experiences, cultural conditioning, upbringing, trauma, learned patterns.
• Automatic vs. Conscious:

• • Automatic thoughts happen reflexively (often negative or limiting).

• • Conscious thoughts are intentionally chosen or reframed.

Example:

• Automatic thought: “I always mess things up.”
• Chosen thought: “I’ve learned from mistakes before, and I can do it again.”

Step 2: Feelings/Emotions

• What they are: Bodily sensations + mental labels that arise from how we interpret situations (our thoughts).
• Thoughts are the cause, feelings are the effect—but this happens so fast, we often think feelings come “out of nowhere.”
• Emotions serve as an action signal—they nudge us toward certain behaviors.

Example:

• Thought: “This meeting will go terribly.”
• Feeling: Anxiety, tension, dread.
• Physical response: Sweaty palms, racing heart.

Step 3: Behaviors/Actions

• What they are: The choices we make or avoid making in response to our feelings.
• Emotions prime us for certain behaviors (e.g., fear primes us for avoidance, excitement primes us for approach).
• Behavior often reinforces the original belief, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Example:

• Feeling anxious about a meeting → speaking less, avoiding eye contact.
• Others may perceive you as disengaged → reinforcing your belief that “I’m bad in meetings.”

Step 4: Results / Reality

• Our repeated behaviors produce tangible results (or lack thereof).
• Those results then feed back into our belief system, either strengthening the original thought or prompting change.

Example:

• Avoid speaking up in meetings → career growth slows → belief that “I have nothing valuable to contribute” becomes stronger.

2. The Cycle in Motion

Belief → Emotion → Behavior → Result → Reinforced Belief

1. Belief: “I’m not a good public speaker.”
2. Emotion: Nervousness, self-consciousness.
3. Behavior: Decline speaking opportunities.
4. Result: No improvement, missed chances, others never see your skills.
5. Reinforced Belief: “See? I’m just not cut out for it.”
6. The Psychological Foundations

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) → focuses on changing thoughts to influence emotions and actions.
• Self-Perception Theory → we infer our beliefs by observing our own behavior.
• Neuroplasticity → repeatedly choosing new thoughts/behaviors rewires neural pathways, making new patterns easier over time.
• Reticular Activating System (RAS) → your brain selectively notices things that confirm your beliefs (confirmation bias).

• Why This Creates Our “Reality”

• Your brain filters reality through your beliefs.

Two people in the same situation can have radically different experiences based purely on their interpretation.

• Over time, this feedback loop hardens into patterns of reality—your career path, relationships, health habits, etc.
• How to Change the Cycle

• Awareness → Notice your thoughts without judgment.
• Questioning → Ask: Is this thought true? Is it helpful?
• Reframing → Replace limiting thoughts with realistic, empowering ones.
• Behavioral experiments → Act “as if” the new belief is true and gather evidence.
• Emotional regulation → Use breathwork, mindfulness, or physical movement to shift state so new actions feel possible.

Quick Reframe Example

Old Loop	New Loop
Thought: “I can’t network; I’m awkward.”	Thought: “I can learn to connect by asking good questions.”
Feeling: Social anxiety	Feeling: Curious openness
Behavior: Avoid networking events	Behavior: Attend and speak to 1 new person
Result: No contacts	Result: New acquaintance, slight confidence boost