Where did I get that idea?

I keep finding that I pull fast ones on myself.  I believe in the idea of looking at my thoughts and giving them the once over before accepting them as true, correct.  Yet, I find I get a thought about something that scares or repels me and I don't take the time to consider if the notion that has popped up is a good one, a true one.  I just take it and run with it as though it has been verified and scrutinized.  I can almost expect that the stronger the emotion I have about an idea, the more doubtful is its truth.

I like to think that I stay aware of how I feel as well as what I think.  But I don't notice how quickly and unconditionally I admit hot-button thoughts/feelings into myself.  It's like the hot and fast-moving ones slip in under the fence.  What good is it to learn how to question, how to see things from different angles if I don't apply the methods?  Not making use of my abilities gets me into a stew or a fret that is totally unnecessary but it takes a day or two for the possibility of side-stepping or re-thinking to quietly make itself known.

But Charlotte Beck (and Byron Katie) have made an impression on me with their emphasis on seeing that it is easy to demand of myself to be "better".  Gritting my teeth and growling at myself when I find I have not done what I wanted to can be a quick and easy substitute for gently, knowingly, firmly but appreciatively accepting my thoughts/actions for what they are but modifying them or editing them.  A polite, respectful review can apply my energy, mental and physical, where it will do some good with less of an assault on my wiring and habits. "Mea culpa" and "my bad" can be a cop-out.