Helps people step back from anxiety and reconnect with the areas of life they want to protect, build and make room for. The printable CBT values exercise is easy to use in therapy sessions, at home or as a reflective mental health activity for adults and older teens who feel anxiety has taken over.
Adults, older teenagers and CBT clients working on anxiety, worry or avoidance are the clearest audience for The Big Picture Exercise V.03.09.21. It gives a simple big picture exercise for identifying valued life areas, making it useful for therapists, counsellors, wellbeing practitioners and people completing self-help work between sessions.
The first activity page shows eight thought bubbles already labelled with common priorities: close family, friendships, health and well-being, travelling, hobbies and interests, job or career, socialising and sports. A small box labelled anxiety sits separately, visually prompting the person to compare anxiety with the wider life they care about.
A second page offers the same thought-bubble layout without labels, so clients can personalise the exercise with their own values, relationships, responsibilities and interests. It works well as a printable CBT worksheet, values clarification tool, anxiety therapy handout or counselling prompt for people who find it hard to name what matters.
The final page provides a large blank frame headed The Big Picture Exercise, alongside the prompt about the things that are really important in my life. People could use it to draw, write key words, map priorities or create a fuller plan for moving attention and behaviour back towards meaningful areas.
