Anxiety often rests on a hidden assumption about what the real problem is. This worksheet helps you put two competing theories side by side — and discover which one the evidence actually supports.
Theory A and Theory B offer competing accounts of the same experience. Only one can be right — or at least, one fits the evidence better.
What actually supports each theory? Looking at real evidence helps you move beyond gut feelings and anxious assumptions.
If each theory were true, what would you need to do? The answer often reveals which theory is keeping your anxiety going.
Which theory, if true, would open up a better life? Seeing the future implications can be powerfully motivating.
How It Works
Work through each section for both theories before moving to the next. Try to be as honest and specific as you can.
Theory A is usually the anxiety-maintaining belief — it frames the problem as an external threat or a real danger that must be managed. Theory B reframes the problem: the anxiety itself is the issue, not the feared thing. Theory B opens the door to different, more helpful responses.
Write each theory as a simple statement. Theory A often begins "My problem is that there is real danger/illness/risk..." Theory B often begins "My problem is that I am anxious about..."
Write down any evidence that supports each theory. Try to be specific and honest — the evidence column often reveals that Theory B is better supported than it first appears.
If Theory A were true, what would you need to do? If Theory B were true, what then? The actions each theory demands can reveal a lot about which one is actually driving your behaviour.
What would each theory mean for you and your future if it turned out to be true? This question helps you see the long-term consequences of living by each theory.
Your Worksheet
Fill in both columns as fully as you can, then save your entry below.
Theory A is the anxiety-maintaining view: it treats the feared thing as the real problem (e.g., "There is actual danger / I am genuinely ill / Something really will go wrong").
Theory B is the alternative: it treats the anxiety response itself as the problem (e.g., "My problem is that I experience intense anxiety, and this anxiety — not the feared thing — is what needs to be addressed").
← Scroll left and right to see both columns →
You don't have to believe Theory B fully right now — just be willing to consider it as a possibility and act as if it might be true. The evidence will build over time as you test it out. Discuss your conclusions with your therapist if you're working with one.