I’m	bad.
I’m	unlikable.
I’m	unwanted.
I’m	not	good	enough.
The	downward	arrow	technique	helps	you	look	beneath	the	surface	of	your
anxious	thoughts	to	see	what’s	really	driving	them.	To	find	your	core	beliefs,
record	your	anxious	thoughts,	and	then	ask	yourself,	“If	that	thought	were
true,	what	would	it	mean	about	me	as	a	person?”
Let’s	use	Ava’s	anxious	thoughts	as	an	example:
“I’m	worried	I’m	not	going	to	complete	my	report	for	work	on	time.	I
second-guess	my	every	move.	I	literally	can’t	stop	obsessing	about	work	even
for	a	few	moments.”
Here	is	the	downward	arrow	technique:
What	does	it	mean	about	you	as	a	person	if	you	don’t	complete	the	report?
“
	
That	I’m	letting	my	team	down.”
What	does	it	mean	about	you	if	you	let	your	team	down?
“My	colleagues	won’t	respect	me.”
What	does	it	mean	about	you	if	your	colleagues	don’t	respect	you?
“That	I	failed.”
This	reflects	a	helplessness	core	belief.	Deep	down,	Ava	believes	she	is
inadequate	as	a	person.	Likely	she	is	underestimating	her	competence	(more
on	this	later).