Cognitive behavioural therapy is a type of therapy that aims to help you manage your problems by changing how you think and act.

CBT encourages you to talk about:

how you think about yourself, the world and other people

how what you do affects your thoughts and feelings

By talking about these things, CBT can help you to change how you think (cognitive) and what you do (behaviour), which can help you feel better about life.

Helpful and unhelpful reactions

CBT helps you to realise that your problems are often created by the way you think. It is not the situation itself that is making you unhappy, but how you think about it and react to it. The Royal College of Psychiatrists illustrates this using the following example:

Situation: You have had a bad day, feel fed up, so go out shopping. As you walk down the road, someone you know walks by and apparently ignores you.

Unhelpful thoughts such as ‘They ignored me - they don't like me’ result in you feeling low and rejected, and you get stomach cramps and feel sick. You decide to go home and avoid the person.

Helpful thoughts such as ‘They look a bit wrapped up in themselves - I wonder if there's something wrong?’ mean you feel concern for the person, rather than negative feelings, and you get in touch to make sure they are ok.

From http://www.nhs.uk/