Code Review Anxiety Workbook
  • Introduction
  • Authorship & Licensing
  • Part One: Understanding Code Review Anxiety
    • What is Code Review Anxiety?
    • How can we manage Code Review Anxiety?
  • Part Two: Managing Code Review Anxiety
    • Step 1: Create Awareness
    • Step 2: Reduce Physiological Arousal
      • Temperature
      • Intense Exercise
      • Paced Breathing
      • Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
      • Checking the Impact
    • Step 3: Challenge Biased Thoughts
      • Identify Negatively Biased Thoughts
      • Challenge Negatively Biased Thoughts
      • Replace Negatively Biased Thoughts
      • Checking the Impact
    • Step 4: Proactively Engage
      • Asking like a DEAR
      • Reviewing to GIVE
  • Part Three: Mini Code Review Anxiety Toolkit
    • Introduction
    • Mini Toolkit
  • Workbook References
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  1. Part Two: Managing Code Review Anxiety

Step 3: Challenge Biased Thoughts

PreviousChecking the ImpactNextIdentify Negatively Biased Thoughts

Last updated 11 months ago

Anxiety generally functions by triggering cognitive biases, which are mental shortcuts our brains take to save time and effort, but that can lead to irrational conclusions. These cognitive biases make it hard for us to think clearly and rationally, instead making us believe negative things about ourselves and the world around us. Unsurprisingly, these negatively biased thoughts go on to make us feel even more anxious.

Figure 4. Cognitive-behavioral model highlighting the cognitive symptoms of anxiety.

To break this cycle, we’ll directly target our cognitive symptoms of code review anxiety (see Figure 4) using a skill called cognitive restructuring. [2] Cognitive restructuring has three major steps:

  1. Identify negatively biased thoughts

  2. Challenge negatively biased thoughts

  3. Replace negatively biased thoughts

Triangle model with arrows between cognitive, behavioral, and physiological symptoms.