- Ask yourself if you're genuinely hearing someone before responding, and be sincere in your response.
- Do what is needed for the situation you are in—not the situation you wish you were in; not the one that is fair; not the one that is more comfortable.
Challenges to an unhelpful thought
- Is there any evidence against this thought?
- Is there any evidence for this thought (based in fact)?
- Can you identify any patterns of unhelpful thinking?
- What would you say to a friend who had this thought in a similar situation?
- Is there another way of looking at this situation?
- Is there a proactive solution to this unhelpful thought?
Patterns of unhelpful thinking
- Mind reading
- Labelling
- Predicting the future
- Catastrophising
- Personalisation
- Over-generalising
- Focusing on the negatives
- Underestimating ability to cope with fear and anxiety