Lessons 1 to 3 introduced the model behind this program. From this point, the lessons become more personal.

The loop described in Lesson 3 can be interrupted, but the best time to notice it is early, before you have reacted to the problem.

The instruction is surprisingly direct: “Use your feelings as a cue that a problem exists.”

This means not treating the feeling itself as the problem. Instead, “you should think of these feelings as a signal that a problem exists and then observe what is going on in an attempt to recognise the real problem that is causing these feelings.”

This may be the opposite of how you usually respond, so here is a practical example.

Feeling sick before a meeting is not a weakness that you need to control. It is information. Your body may be reacting to something before you have found the words to explain it.

Stress signals can appear through four different channels. Most people pay attention to one of them and miss the other three.

• Physical signals. You might think, “I have butterflies in my stomach,” “My head hurts just thinking about this,” or “I feel shaky and restless.” Other signs may include tension in your jaw or shoulders, changes in sleep or appetite, or a headache that appears at the same time every afternoon.
• Changes in your thinking. You may have thoughts about failing, feel confused, or struggle to make a decision without questioning yourself repeatedly. You might read the same paragraph several times without taking it in or suddenly forget a familiar name.
• Changes in what you do. Stress can leave some people feeling “tired, fatigued, and avoidant.” Others may become “highly alert, agitated, aggressive, and impulsive.” Both are stress responses. Another sign can be returning to familiar ways of coping, even when they are clearly no longer helping.
• Emotional signals. These may include anxiety, uncertainty, sadness, anger, disappointment, confusion, guilt, helplessness, or the feeling that you are not good enough. Irritability also belongs on this list. People often apologise for it without stopping to ask what it might be signalling.

These reactions are information, and that distinction is the central idea of this lesson.

A symptom can feel like something is wrong with you and needs to be removed. A signal gives you information about a situation and points towards something that needs your attention.

Your task is not simply to make the signal disappear. It is to follow it back and identify what triggered it.

Why is this so important for the loop described in Lesson 3? Because avoidance depends on the signal remaining unread.

Your stomach drops. You notice that you feel uncomfortable, so you do something that brings immediate relief. But the underlying problem is never identified. It is still there the next day and may have become slightly more difficult.

Nothing you enter here is scored. There are no categories, targets, or correct numbers of signals to identify. Nothing in this app monitors you, and nothing you write leaves your device.

There is one more reason to understand your own signals: they are personal, and they tend to repeat.

Once people begin paying attention, they often notice the same few signals appearing in a similar order. That pattern is an early warning system you already have but may never have written down.

The next lesson will help you do exactly that.