Is your mind your friend or foe?
Your mind is your greatest tool, but if you've ever felt the weight of fear or frustration then you know it can also be your greatest enemy.
We all have moments in our week which test us. It might be when you find yourself in a situation which didn't go as planned and your fears come creeping to the front of your mind. Perhaps it's during a project in which your leadership skills are stretched and your work performance is affected. For some of us it's when we're communicating with a certain someone, and we feel our stress levels rising.
To handle these testing times, we need our thoughts on our side. It means the difference between being trapped under the weight of negative thoughts, to feeling confident that we can fulfil our potential.
Want to nourish, build, and train your mind?
Cognitive Restructuring is a strategy that you can use today to reduce stress. This powerful strategy helps you move on from negative thinking which, left unchecked, can reduce your work performance and damage your relationships. Apply when you feel your stress or fear level rise.
Cognitive Restructuring: 8 Step Strategy
1. Calm yourself.
2. Write down the situation that triggered the negative thoughts.
3. Identify the moods that you felt in the situation.
4. Write down the automatic thoughts you experienced when you felt the mood. The most distressing thoughts are your "hot thoughts."
5. Identify the evidence that supports these hot thoughts. Try to look objectively at what happened, and note what led to your automatic thoughts.
6. Identify the evidence that contradicts the hot thoughts. You might find this evidence to be more rational than your automatic thoughts.
7. Now, identify fair, balanced thoughts about the situation. This will come from having looked at ‘both sides’ of the situation.
8. Finally, observe your mood now, and decide on your next steps. With a clearer, more balanced view of the situation you might find your mood has improved, and your next steps might be that no action is required.
Your mind is your greatest tool, use it to respond to negative thoughts and emotions–because changing the way you think changes the way you feel.
Interested in Mindset Transformation?
it's time to make the changes you've always wanted to make! Enquire about our Mindset Transformation Program today.
Cognitive restructuring forms a core part of what is commonly known as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The above 8 steps have been adapted from the framework developed by Dr. Christine A. Padesky.
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