In a difficult situation, our minds can produce several automatic thoughts at once. Imagine you have to give a presentation at work: “I’m going to forget what I want to say.” “Everyone will notice I’m nervous.” “They’ll think I’m not good enough at my job.”
All of these thoughts may contribute to how you feel, but sometimes one feels particularly important or emotionally charged.
When we look back at a thought diary, we may notice that some thoughts seem to have a much stronger emotional impact than others. This is what we call a hot thought.
What is a hot thought?
A hot thought is an automatic thought that seems particularly closely connected with the emotion you are experiencing in that situation. It may create the strongest emotional reaction or feel most believable at the time.
Start with the emotion
Begin by noticing the emotion, then ask:
“What was going through my mind when I felt that?”
If several thoughts appear, notice which one seems most strongly connected with the emotion.
An example
For the presentation, the thought “They’ll realise I’m not good enough at my job” may produce the strongest emotional reaction and therefore be the hot thought in that situation.
That is the hot thought. The aim is not necessarily to find the most negative thought. We are looking for the thought that seems to “heat up” the emotion: the one that feels particularly powerful, believable or meaningful to you.
“What would that mean?”
Sometimes the first thought does not fully capture what is upsetting us. You might gently ask: “If that happened, what would I be worried it meant?” This can clarify the immediate thought most closely connected with the emotion.
The aim is not to dig into deeper beliefs or analyse your whole history. We are simply identifying the thought that feels most important in this particular situation.
How strongly do you believe it?
Rate how strongly you believe the possible hot thought right now from 0% (not at all) to 100% (completely). There is no correct number; it is a snapshot of how convincing the thought feels.
A hot thought isn’t necessarily true or false
Calling something a hot thought does not mean it is wrong or true. It tells us that this thought seems strongly connected with how we are feeling.
In CBT, identifying these thoughts can help us understand what is driving the emotional response. Sometimes the first thought we notice is not actually the thought that matters most.
Try it yourself
- What was happening?
- What emotion did I notice?
- What thoughts were going through my mind?
- Which thought created the strongest emotional reaction?
- How strongly did I believe that thought at the time?
For now, just identify it. You do not need to change the thought or convince yourself it is wrong.
What comes next?
Once you have identified a thought that feels particularly important, you can begin to examine it more carefully. Instead of automatically accepting it as fact - or trying to push it away - we can look at the evidence. In the next resource, we will take the thought to trial.