How to Question a Thought in Under 5 Minutes | The Work of Byron Katie
Question Your Thoughts: Change Your World
Release Date: 12/15/2025
What is awareness and why does it matter?
Question Your Thoughts: Change Your World
What Is Awareness? (And Why It Matters) | Understanding Consciousness Here's a strange question: Who's watching your thoughts right now? You're thinking—thoughts are moving through your mind. But something is aware of those thoughts. What is that? Today we're exploring awareness—the part of you that never changes. This might sound abstract, but it's actually the most practical thing I can share with you. Because when you realize you're not your thoughts, everything shifts. 🎁 FREE STARTER KIT: First Response Guide to Thought Storms Tools for working with thoughts from the place of...
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How to Question a Thought in Under 5 Minutes | The Work of Byron Katie
Question Your Thoughts: Change Your World
Today's Grace Note is about making inquiry accessible—because you don't need perfect conditions to question your thoughts. Someone once asked me: "How long does The Work take? I don't have time to journal for an hour every time I'm upset." Here's the truth: you can question a thought in under five minutes. In the car. While making coffee. While your kid is getting their shoes on. The point isn't to do it perfectly. The point is to do it. 🎁 FREE STARTER KIT: First Response Guide to Thought Storms Includes the 4 Questions laid out step-by-step for quick inquiry Download:...
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Questioning the thought: I cannot stop this behavior (eating, drinking, screening, etc)
Question Your Thoughts: Change Your World
"I Can't Stop" - Is It True? | Client Story Using The Work "I can't stop eating." or I can't stop drinking or I can't stop thinking about my ex-boyfriend. If you've ever thought this and felt completely defeated by it, this video is for you. Today I'm sharing a common client story about what happens when we question this thought using Byron Katie's inquiry process. 🎁 FREE STARTER KIT: First Response Guide to Thought Storms Includes the 4 Questions framework for questioning any stressful thought Download: https://workwithgrace.lpages.co/start... In this video: Why "I can't stop" is not...
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What is the work of Byron Katie? Let's question our stressful thoughts
Question Your Thoughts: Change Your World
I started Grace Notes, my newsletter to readers, in 2011. My first note began with "LIVE! From the New Year's Cleanse!" In 2011, about 6 years into using The Work of Byron Katie to question my stressful stories, I was amazed to realize how much calmer and more peaceful I was in my life in general. I felt nothing like I once had felt. It was like a door had opened....permanently for the better. 🎁 **FREE GUIDE: Starter Kit--First Response Guide for Thought Storms Download here: Includes The Work's 4 Questions framework *In this video:* Peace is possible with The Work of Byron Katie in...
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Question Your Thoughts: What if your compulsions are trying to help you?
Question Your Thoughts: Change Your World
What if the part of you that does crazy or unwanted behaviors, like emotionally eating, isn't your enemy? What if it's actually trying to protect you? In this video, I share the way I love to work with compulsions: first, to bring curiosity to the conversation. The Internal Family Systems (IFS) perspective on binge eating and emotional eating is one modality that holds this view. You can completely changed how you view your compulsive behaviors. Instead of fighting the urge, what if you listened to it? 🎁 FREE GUIDE: Starter Kit--First Response Guide for Thought Storms Download here:...
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Peace Talk Episode 289: I don't want to hear bad news-The Work of Byron Katie with Grace Bell
Question Your Thoughts: Change Your World
Title: Open Inquiry: “I Don’t Want to Hear Bad News” — The Work of Byron Katie with Grace Bell Join Grace Bell for an open inquiry meditation based on The Work of Byron Katie. In this heartfelt group session, participants explore everyday stressful thoughts — fears about bad news, asking for what we need, protecting loved ones, and finding work. Grace guides the group through the four questions and turnarounds of The Work, inviting compassion for the mind, gentle awareness of triggers, and freedom from believing our thoughts. 🕊 Highlights: Meditation on Byron Katie’s quote from...
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Peace Talk Episode 288: investigating physical pain, rejection, wanting acknowledgment from a judge
Question Your Thoughts: Change Your World
When we have physical pain, it's difficult not to get frightened of doctors, or resentful of life itself or the body. When we're not acknowledged, or we believe someone's blaming us for our behavior, we suffer. Who are we without our stories, and also not falling into passivity or despair? Join a live self-inquiry session inspired by The Work of Byron Katie. We explore how uninvestigated “stories” create suffering—especially around doctors and bad news, physical pain & migraines, being judged or rejected, and needing others to be happy. Through the 4 Questions (“Is it...
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Peace Talk Episode 287: Questioning Painful beliefs about ourselves or what we need from others
Question Your Thoughts: Change Your World
In this First Friday Work of Byron Katie session, Grace Bell guides participants through the powerful process of questioning their stressful thoughts. Together, they explore how shifting perspective can dissolve suffering and open the way to clarity and peace. Listeners will hear real-life examples of thoughts under inquiry—ranging from comparing ourselves to others, to managing inner criticism, to wishing others would behave differently. This episode is an invitation to discover that freedom is available in any situation, once our unquestioned stories are brought into the light. Episode...
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Peace Talk Episode 286: something horrible could happen, overeating, partners' happiness
Question Your Thoughts: Change Your World
✨ Join this live inquiry session inspired by The Work of Byron Katie as participants bring their most stressful thoughts to the table — from anger and fear of loss, to shame around food, to the belief that loved ones must always be happy. Together, we explore: How uninvestigated “stories” create suffering The thought “Something horrible will happen” and how it fuels anxiety Fear of a partner’s illness and constant vigilance Shame about eating and hiding the truth The pressure of needing a partner to be happy The sting of not being heard or acknowledged in conversation Facing...
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Peace Talk Episode 285: A group does The Work of Byron Katie on anxiety, adult sons, scams
Question Your Thoughts: Change Your World
Grace Bell, facilitator of The Work, assists people to identify and question their stressful ways of looking at life. She offers Year of Inquiry, a vibrant membership community of inquirers Sept-June each year. Learn more about Year of Inquiry at https://workwithgrace.com/year-of-inquiry Grace also has a special love for those suffering from eating issues including disordered eating (disordered thinking) of all kinds--having suffered from this behavior and thought/feeling process herself and finding an unshakable peace within around eating, food, health and behaviors with eating. ...
info_outlineToday's Grace Note is about making inquiry accessible—because you don't need perfect conditions to question your thoughts.
Someone once asked me: "How long does The Work take? I don't have time to journal for an hour every time I'm upset."
Here's the truth: you can question a thought in under five minutes. In the car. While making coffee. While your kid is getting their shoes on.
The point isn't to do it perfectly. The point is to do it.
🎁 FREE STARTER KIT: First Response Guide to Thought Storms
Includes the 4 Questions laid out step-by-step for quick inquiry
Download: https://workwithgrace.lpages.co/starter-kit-first-response-guide-to-thought-storms/
In this video:
The 5-minute speed version of Byron Katie's inquiry process
Why waiting for "perfect conditions" keeps you stuck
Step-by-step breakdown: 6 steps in 5 minutes
Byron Katie's Four Questions:
Is it true?
Can you absolutely know that it's true?
How do you react when you believe that thought?
Who would you be without that thought?
Turn the thought to the opposite, to yourself, switch places with the other
This week's practice: Set a timer for 5 minutes. Pick one recurring stressful thought. Question it using the steps in this video.
This is part of my series: Grace Notes + The Work of Byron Katie.
Grace Notes are excerpts from my newsletter (2011-present) where I documented my inquiry journey. At the end of each week I share one concept from a Grace Note and then dive into a practice from The Work.
New to The Work? Visit thework.com for free resources and worksheets.
New videos 3x/week:
📅 Mondays - How minds work, therapy insights, wisdom teachings
📅 Wednesdays - Inquiry for compulsive eating & addiction
📅 Fridays - The Work of Byron Katie + Grace Note readings
CONNECT:
🌐 Website: workwithgrace.com
📧 Email: gracewithwork@gmail.com
💬 What's your biggest barrier to doing inquiry? Let me know in the comments.