Cancer hands you a pile of problems at once. Bright IDEAS teaches you how to take them apart, one at a time.

What problem solving does for you — pausing before you act, making thoughtful decisions, handling conflict, managing time, and lowering stress. We separate what you can change in a situation from what you cannot, and introduce optimism: not simply hoping for the best, but treating a difficulty as something you can manage. Then you list the challenges and goals on your mind right now and circle the one to work on first.

Step 1. We describe your challenge precisely — what is happening, where, when, who is involved, why it is hard, and how you think and feel about it. Writing it down makes a challenge more specific, more concrete, and less overwhelming. We also look at the thinking-feeling connection: the same event produces very different feelings depending on how you read it, so noticing the thought behind the feeling gives you somewhere to act.

Steps 2 and 3. It is easy to get stuck believing there is only one way through a problem. We brainstorm at least three possible solutions without judging any of them, then weigh each one: pros, cons, whether you can realistically do it, how likely it is to work, and what might get in the way. Unrealistic options get crossed out, the best two or three get ranked, and you keep a backup.

Steps 4 and 5. You turn your chosen solution into a plan specific enough to act on — what exactly you will do, how, when, who else is involved, and what barriers you expect. Then you rehearse it in your head before you do it for real. Afterwards you write down what actually happened and decide whether it worked, which is where the loop closes: recognise the effort, or go back a step and try a different option.

Automatic thoughts are the fast, usually negative thoughts that arrive without any effort on your part. Some are accurate; many are distorted, and those add to the distress. We practise catching them, testing whether they are completely true, looking for other explanations, and writing a more balanced thought in their place. We also cover the Quick Check — what to reach for in the moment when you feel stuck or overwhelmed.

The last session runs the full wheel once more, this time on a new challenge you choose and work largely on your own, so you leave using the method rather than being taught it. We review what has changed since your first session, name the setbacks you expect and how you will handle them, and close on persistence: progress happens in small steps, and setbacks are normal rather than a sign of failure.