Reframing Negative Thinking Toolkit

Reframing Negative Thinking

TOOLK T

REFRAMING NEGATIVE THINKING

STEP

01

Awareness The first step in combating negative thinking is to become aware of your thoughts and thinking patterns. If you find it hard to evaluate your thoughts mentally, try documenting them with a thought log or journal.

STEP

02

Pause

Once you become aware of your thoughts, you should take a second to pause. Pausing will allow you to slow down so you can assess your thoughts.

From here, you will want to identify your thoughts as negative, positive, or neutral. Then you should try to identify the thought as logical or distorted.

Learn more about cognitive distortions in the following pages.

STEP

03

Redirect

If you identify your thought as a cognitive distortion, you should try to redirect or reframe it.

This may look like engaging in positive or neutral thinking. It may also look like accepting your negative thought if it is factual. In that case, you can use coping mechanisms to shift your focus.

Discover new ways to cope with your unwanted negative thoughts in the next couple pages.

IDENTIFYING COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS

All or Nothing Thinking All or nothing is when you put people, things, and actions into two categories: good or bad. There is no middle ground.

Example: You receive a B on a math test, and instead of acknowledging the decent grade, you think, I got a B on my math test, I’m a complete failure who can never do math correctly.

Mind Reading Mind Reading is where you make assumptions about what others are thinking without any solid evidence or facts to back up your thoughts.

Example: You send a text message to a friend and they don’t reply immediately. You start thinking, they must be mad at me for something. They’re probably ignoring me on purpose.

Fortune Telling Fortune telling is jumping to conclusions based on predictions about the future without any solid evidence or facts to back up your thoughts.

Example: You are trying to cook a new recipe for dinner, but you predict it will be a failed attempt even before any cooking takes place. You think to yourself, I’m sure I will mess something up and dinner will be ruined.

Self-blame Self-blame, also known as personalization, is where you take the blame or fault for outcomes that are not necessarily in your control.

Example: Your basketball team is playing in a game and you make one error during the game.

Your team ends up losing the game and you think to yourself, our team lost because of me.

Should Statements Should statements come from a set of rules or beliefs that you create in your head. These statements come from high expectations.

Example: It is your day off and you’ve already completed a bunch of tasks around the house.

You take a moment to sit down on the couch and you think, I should be productive instead of relaxing on the couch.

Mental Filtering Mental filtering is when you focus your attention on the negative. The filtration of aspects of an experience creates these distorted thoughts.

Example: You received feedback in a meeting with your boss. The feedback was positive, but you chose to focus on the one negative thing that was said. You think, I am a terrible employee since I can’t sort files correctly.

Disqualifying the Positive Disqualifying the positive is where you acknowledge the positive, but refuse to accept it.

It is a complete rejection of positive experiences.

Example: You receive an award at a competition you entered. After receiving the award you think to yourself, it must have been a fluke, I don’t deserve this award.

Overgeneralization Overgeneralization is when you make broad conclusions about your abilities, characteristics, or the world based on isolated incidents.

Example: You interview for a job, but they don’t end up hiring you. After receiving the news you think, I must be horrible at my profession and in the future, I know that I won’t get hired anywhere.

Emotional Reasoning Emotional reasoning is using what is felt in an experience to justify a thought. The emotions become the truth and logistics aren’t considered.

Example: You see a post on social media of your friends hanging out together without you. Seeing this photo makes you feel alone. You think, everyone must hate being around me.

Minimization & Magnification Magnification is an over-exaggeration of a thought while Minimization is the opposite.

Magnification Example: You are meeting a friend for lunch and they aren’t at the restaurant when you show up. You think, “Something bad must have happened to them.”

Minimization Example: You receive a big promotion at work, but think to yourself, it’s not a big deal, lots of people get promotions.

COPING MECHANISMS, TIPS, & TOOLS

Reframe the Thought - Replace a negative thought with a positive or neutral one.

- Engage in self-dialogue by challenging and rationalizing your thoughts.

- Highlight your strengths and build on them.

Seek the Positive - Consciously seek out the positive aspects in life.

Chat With A Friend - Engage in a meaningful conversation with a friend about your thoughts.

Take A Break - Take a breather and step back to gather your thoughts; if necessary, remove yourself from the situation.

Try Journaling - Jot down your feelings and thoughts in a journal.

- Write a letter as a therapeutic release, then crumple it up and discard of it.

Do A Hobby Or Activity - Immerse yourself in a hobby or activity to give your mind a break from overthinking.

- Solve a puzzle, engage in coloring, or try crafting.

- Unwind by watching a movie.

- Consider trying something new.

Listen To Music - Put on your favorite song and let it lift your spirits.

Practice Mindfulness - Dedicate time to practice mindfulness meditation.

- Try listening to a guided meditation.

Take Care of Yourself - Engage in self care.

- Take a hot bubble bath, practice skincare, or paint your nails to redirect your negative thoughts.

Practice Gratitude - Express gratitude to yourself or thank someone special in your life.

- Recognize, remember, and seek out the positive aspects of your life.

Try Exercising - Indulge in physical activity to redirect your focus from negative thoughts.

- Step outside and savor the fresh air with a relaxing walk. Consider inviting a friend to come along with you.

Practice Positive Affirmations - Boost your self-confidence through affirmation.

Be Social - Spend some time hanging out with family or friends. Think about joining a club or team.

Eat Well & Sleep Well - Be kind to your body by eating well and getting enough sleep at night.

- Remember that it’s okay to take naps.

Find A Way To Serve - Try doing a random act of kindness.

- Get involved in giving back to your community.

- Lend a listening ear to a friend.

YOU GOT THIS.

Most importantly, it is crucial to learn to go easy on yourself. Afterall, you are only human and you will always make mistakes. How you percieve those mistakes is what is important.

Holding a grudge against yourself is limiting.

You must learn to forgive yourself and the way your brain thinks in order to move forward.

Letting go of negative thoughts can really be freeing. Doing so will allow you to be a better version of yourself.

Here you have the space to release your negative thoughts :)