Archive for the 'Think Logically' Topics
Think Logically #9. Active Step: Question your absolute beliefs – try to see, allow for and find a middle ground.
Be careful using inflexible words such as ‘must’, ’should’, ‘ought’ and ‘can’t’ – these often cause unnecessary disappointment and guilt.
Watch all-or-nothing thinking: whereby everything is ‘black’ or ‘white’; ‘bad’ or ‘good’. This can lead to people (including yourself), being negatively judged or condemned on the basis of a single statement or incident.
Try to identify similarities you share with others and learn from different approaches or viewpoints.
Open mindedness can help make the world seem a smaller, friendlier place to be….
Think Logically #7. Active Step: We are what we are and that’s OK (we are also always learning and growing)
Question: It is your 60th birthday – what do you think? (NB for 60 substitute your age!)
- Answer 1: Oh misery, 60 years old! I hate being this old!
- Answer 2: Let’s celebrate! I’ve had lots of good times and I will have lot’s more, including today!
It’s healthy to feel good about ourselves as a person and to accept who we are. This inner self-belief helps us to accept and express our thoughts and feelings openly and with confidence.
It’s also healthy to want to change certain aspects of ourselves. We all want to learn and grow, don’t we?
Perhaps we can work on our own habit of contentment at the same time as we are developing new positive and stress reducing skills?
The more we can practise accepting who we are, the easier this contentment becomes. From this acceptance of who and where you are now, we can continue to make the positive decisions and changes to keen progressing tomorrow.
Sometimes we can use an everyday action to help begin a new way of seeing things. For example, every time we walk through a doorway, whether it be at home, work or out-and-about, we can practise having positive ‘accepting yourself’ thoughts. Breathe in, keep your head up and feel good about yourself.
Although we can become healthier, more positive, skilled and knowledgeable, we will never be perfect, so shouldn’t put too much pressure on ourselves to be perfect. Remember, nobody is perfect.
Some things simply can’t be changed, such as our past or growing old.
Think Logically #6. Active Step: Make positive predictions, don’t catastrophise.
Expecting things to go wrong can make it more likely they will (a self-fulfilling prophecy). Being positive not only makes a positive outcome are more likely, but can help you feel calmer along the way.
