In this workbook, a "loop" refers to a repetitive pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that tends to be automatic and often leads to unhelpful or unwanted outcomes. These can be:

• Behavioral Loops: Recurring actions or habits, like automatically reaching for snacks when stressed, procrastinating on important tasks, or getting into the same type of argument repeatedly.
• Cognitive Loops: Cycles of negative or unproductive thoughts, such as persistent self-criticism, worrying about future events, or replaying past mistakes.

These loops often start with a trigger, which leads to automatic thoughts, generating emotions that then drive a specific behavior. This behavior provides a short-term payoff (like temporary relief or distraction) but usually has negative long-term consequences.

The goal of this sprint is to bring awareness to these loops, understand their mechanics, and learn effective strategies to "break" them and replace them with more conscious, positive, and empowering alternatives.