A presentation at Peers Conference in in Seattle, WA, USA by Jamie Strachan
Debugging Our Feelings @ jamiestrachan
C ognitive B ehavioural T herapy
Experiences Responses
Experiences Responses Thoughts
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so ” Hamlet (act 2, scene 2)
Experiences Responses Thoughts We can change how we feel if we change how we think
Experiences Responses Thoughts Input Output Code
Experiences Responses Thoughts Input Output Code
Experiences Responses Thoughts Input Output Code
Experiences Responses Thoughts Input Output Code
Test our output Trust our feelings
Emotional Reasoning
Don’t trust your feelings Test your feelings
Feelings should be: • Positive
Feelings should be: • Helpful • Reasonable • Rational
Mind Reading
Nothing Thinking
Antiperfectionism Sheet Ta s k Effectiveness Satisfaction
Antiperfectionism Sheet Ta s k Effectiveness Satisfaction Submit pull request 60% 85% Demo to client 40% 80%
Testing helps identify problems but doesn’t fix them
Experiences Responses Thoughts
Experience Thoughts
Labeling
Magnification and Minification
Disqualifying the Positive
Accepting a compliment: 1. Pause 2. Say “thank you”
Test your feelings 2. Get your thoughts out of your head 3. Get help We can change how we feel if we change how we think @ jamiestrachan
As developers, we're used to solving problems. We can learn all the frameworks, tools, and techniques we need to tackle any technical challenge. But when the problems we face aren't in our code but are in our head, what tools do we have then?
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is based on the idea that our thoughts determine our emotions so we can change how we feel by changing how we think. While CBT is generally used to treat mental disorders like depression, it can also be effective in dealing with more common challenges like procrastination, impostor syndrome, and handling criticism.
Drawing on basic programming concepts, this talk will teach you the foundations of CBT and practical techniques you can use to help correct the distorted negative thoughts that can prevent us from doing our best work.
for free. You
can too.