Posted on

“How to Challenge Negative Thinking: Your Guide to a Positive Mindset”

Do you ever find yourself caught in a loop of negative thoughts that seem to take over your day? It happens to the best of us! The good news is there are ways to tackle these thoughts head-on and turn them into something more positive. Let’s dive into some simple steps you can take to challenge those pesky negative thoughts and bring more positivity into your life.

Identifying the Negative Thoughts

First things first: identify the thought that’s bringing you down. It could be about yourself, a situation, or even your future. Take a moment to pinpoint precisely what it is.

Checking the Evidence

Now, let’s play detective! Look for evidence that supports and contradicts this negative thought. Is it based on actual facts, or is it just a sneaky assumption?

Giving it a Reality Check

Time to get real! How likely is it that this thought is absolute, 100% true? Are there other ways to look at the situation that might be more accurate?

Understanding the Impact

Negative thoughts have power—they can affect your mood and actions. Consider how holding onto this thought is influencing your day-to-day life.

Seeing from Different Perspectives

Have you ever thought about how a friend might view the same situation? What advice would you give to them? Sometimes, a change in perspective can work wonders.

Putting it in the Bigger Picture

Zoom out a bit. Does this thought really matter in the grand scheme of things? Will it still bother you a week from now?

Finding the Middle Ground

Are you thinking in extremes? Maybe there’s a more balanced way to see things. Let’s find that middle ground!

Crafting a Positive Alternative

Time to reframe that negative thought! What would a more positive, realistic thought look like in this situation?

Testing Assumptions

Take a step back and examine the assumptions behind your negative thoughts. Are they valid? What if you consider the complete opposite?

Learning and Growing

Think back to similar situations in the past. What did you learn from them? Sometimes, experience is the best teacher.

Being Kind to Yourself

Lastly, treat yourself with kindness. How would you comfort a friend feeling this way? Offer yourself the same compassion.

Remember, challenging negative thoughts takes practice. Start small and be patient with yourself. Over time, you’ll become a pro at turning those negatives into positives. Keep this guide handy for those moments when those pesky thoughts try to sneak back in. You’ve got this!

Posted on

Why Your Stuffed Animal is a Comforting Object…

The concept of transitional objects originated from the work of renowned psychoanalyst D.W. Winnicott in the mid-20th century. Winnicott introduced the idea that particular objects, often soft and comforting, like stuffed animals or blankets, play a transitional role in a child’s life as they navigate the process of growing independence. These objects, typically chosen by the child themselves, help them feel secure and provide a sense of continuity and comfort during transition or stress, such as separation from their primary caregiver.

Trauma-informed care is an approach to providing support and treatment that recognizes the prevalence and impact of trauma on individuals. It involves creating an environment of safety, trust, and empowerment for those who have experienced trauma. In a trauma-informed care framework, professionals consider the potential effects of trauma on a person’s behavior, emotions, and overall well-being. They prioritize their physical and emotional safety, provide choices and autonomy, and promote a collaborative and strengths-based approach to healing.

Finding Comfort from Your “Stuffy”:

For several reasons, a stuffed animal can be a comforting object to someone who has experienced trauma, even into adulthood. First, a stuffed animal’s soft texture and familiar presence can provide comfort and security. It can remind them of a time when they felt safe and protected, helping to alleviate anxiety or distress.

Additionally, a stuffed animal can become a symbolic representation of emotional support and companionship. It may be a constant presence that offers unconditional love and understanding, especially during emotional distress. This can be particularly important for individuals who have experienced trauma, as they may find it challenging to trust or connect with others.

Furthermore, a stuffed animal can provide a tangible outlet for soothing and self-soothing behaviors. It can be squeezed, held, or cuddled, releasing tension and promoting relaxation. Engaging with the stuffed animal in this way can create a calming effect and help regulate emotions during moments of distress.

Moreover, the familiarity and consistency of a stuffed animal can create a sense of stability and predictability, which is particularly valuable for individuals who have experienced trauma. It can act as a reliable anchor in their lives, offering a sense of control and reassurance when other aspects may feel uncertain or overwhelming.

Self-Soothing Strategies:

DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) self-soothing activities are techniques commonly used in therapy to help individuals manage distress and regulate their emotions. DBT is a cognitive-behavioral therapy that teaches individuals skills to improve emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance. Self-soothing activities in DBT aim to help individuals calm themselves during times of heightened emotional intensity or distress. These activities can vary widely but often involve engaging the senses, such as listening to calming music, using aromatherapy, taking a warm bath, practicing deep breathing exercises, or engaging in gentle physical activity like yoga or walking.

By utilizing self-soothing activities, individuals can cultivate a sense of self-care and emotional regulation, promoting resilience and well-being in the face of challenging situations or traumatic experiences.

Posted on

The Anxiety Balance: Acceptance and Change

Anxiety vs. Fear

A lot of people confuse anxiety with fear. We use the words interchangeably without much thought about the difference. Understanding the definitions will help us find the anxiety balance between acceptance and change.

Imagine you are on a rollercoaster and as you start up the hill you are starting to get tense and gripping the rail in front of you in anticipation of the drop that will come on the other side. This is anxiety. As you make the sudden plunge downward you are screaming in joyful terror and feel out of control. This is fear.

Anxiety can be described as the “fear of the fear.” The experience of fear resides in your imagination about an event in the future. It could be a real event or it could be false. Fear is the experience of terror in the present as events are actually occurring. This is important because, in anxiety, the future has not happened yet. We are anticipating a stressful event and creating our own physiological symptoms, sweating, tension, heart palpitations, in our minds. The actual events, however, justified they appear to be, have not taken place. Knowing this would suggest that we can control what we think and imagine to manage anxiety.

This presents us with a key strategy used by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D. in her program called Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Dialectical simply means “tension” between two equally valid concepts such as acceptance and change.

 

Acceptance & Change

While it appears that acceptance and change are opposing forces, they are actually compliments of one another in the process of managing our emotional states. Applying them together facilitates a greater sense of mastery in our lives.

For example, if we are scheduled to give a public presentation and feeling anxious about it, we simply accept that we have these feelings while also recognizing that we only have to speak for a few minutes and then it will be over. You also know there are supportive people in the audience who would never humiliate you and in fact, you are very well prepared.

You might worry about your health and while you accept that you may find out bad news and get a poor diagnosis, you also know that modern medicine has a lot of treatments, medications, and know that you trust.

This paradox creates space for skill building. If presentations are part of your work and can’t avoid doing them, you can build skills like getting a coach, go to Toastmasters, read books or watch Youtube videos to increase your confidence and abilities. If the idea of asking someone out on a date terrifies you, you can just hang out with your peers, go on group dates, find a matchmaker to help you find your true love. If you are worried about your health, because your family has bad genes, you can get a trainer, talk to doctors, develop a new eating routine, and so on. The more you build skills, the less anxious you feel about some bad event occurring in your future.

Get more information on this topic and how to build mind-full-ness into your life to balance anxiety by taking the complete “Freedom From Anxiety” program >> Click here!