Emotional Distress is triggered by:
• Anything or anyone that challenges, annoys, worries, frustrates, criticizes, threatens, prods, excites, scares, or reduces your self-esteem
• Increased demands, time pressure and worries connected to work, as well as to stressors in one’s private life
ABC of Emotional Distress
• A is the activating event or stressor: This event is the one encountered and objectively described.
• B is thebelief: What is believed to be the truth about the event or thoughts or perception or interpretation or explanation about why the situation happened.
• C is theconsequent emotion: The feelings experienced as a result of the eventor beliefs.2
• For example:
The Activating Event : You are given a higher responsibility in your office.
The Belief/thought/interpretation: My boss hates me.
The Consequent Emotion : Worry, anxiety and depression.
The activating event or stressor triggers an emotion that is believed to be true, and the consequence is worry, anxiety and depression because one has a negative view about the event. On the other hand, another person given the same responsibility may react in a different way as follows:
The Activating Event: You are given a higher responsibility in your office
The Belief: My past efforts have proven me to be competent for higher responsibility.
The Consequent Emotion: Happiness and expectation of promotion.