Positive Thinking for Stress Managment

Positive Thinking for Stress Managment

04/17/19 Laura Gibbons

Positive thinking helps with stress management, but we can all get caught up in negative thinking. Our worst critic is usually ourselves. Practicing more positive self-talk can help limit negative thinking and in turn help reduce stress. Here are some examples of how to re-think your negative thoughts (N) for a more positive outcome (P).

N: I’ll never be able to handle this.
P: I have the strength to cope.

N: The customer/client is making me crazy
P: Stay calm. Getting upset will do no good and might even make it worse.

N: How could I make such a mistake? I am incompetent.
P: I’ll learn from this mistake and do better next time.

N: What’s the matter with me? I never get enough done.
P: I did my best today. This kind of thinking is unrealistic and hurts me.

N: Nobody works as hard as me, or cares as much as I do. They are all lazy.
P: I must be feeling unsupported and unappreciated. I should talk these feelings out with someone whom I trust.

N: If I just work hard enough they’ll see how valuable I am.
P: I’m already working intensely. Am I the one who is devaluing my own accomplishments and therefore assuming everyone else is too?

N: The situation is a mess.
P: I can break it into small pieces and do the next right thing.

N: I can’t trust anyone around here to do things right.
P: Maybe I can train or help other people see how doing it is different way may be better. Maybe I just need to roll with it and not make myself crazy.

N: I’m different from everyone else.
P: Just because I feel that way doesn’t mean it’s true. I have the same rights and responsibilities as others in my personal and professional life.

N: If I let anyone know that I’m confused or don’t know something they’ll fire me.
P: This is my fear talking. If I don’t ask for help when I feel this way, I probably won’t be able to do a good job at all and then might really get into trouble.

N: This is absurd.
P: Can I find the humor in this?

The next time negative thinking creeps in, slow down, be kind to yourself, and reframe your negative thought to take a more positive perspective.