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15 Ways to Untwist Your Thinking and Reduce Your Anxiety
15 Ways to Untwist Your Thinking
David M. Burns, PhD
Ten Days to Self Esteem
1. Identify the Distortions: List all of your negative thoughts or fears, then write down the distortions in each negative thought.
2. The Straightforward Approach: Substitute a more positive and realistic thought.
3. The Cost-Benefit Analysis: List the advantages and disadvantages of a negative feeling, thought, belief, or behavior.
4. Examine the Evidence: Instead of assuming that a Negative Thought is true, examine the actual evidence for it.
5. The Survey Method: Do a survey to find out if your thoughts and attitudes are realistic.
6. The Experimental Method: Do an experiment to test the accuracy of your Negative Thought.
7. The Double-Standard Technique: Talk to yourself in the same compassionate way you might talk to a dear friend who was upset.
8. The Pleasure-Predicting Method Predict how satisfying activities will be, from 0% to 100%. Record how satisfying they turn out to be.
9. The Vertical Arrow Technique: Draw a vertical arrow under your Negative Thought and ask why it would be upsetting if it was true.
10. Thinking in Shades of Gray: Instead of thinking about your problems in black-and-white categories, evaluate things in shades of gray.
11. Define Terms: When you label yourself as "inferior" or "a loser," ask yourself what you mean by these labels.
12. Be Specific: Stick with reality and avoid judgments about reality.
13. The Semantic Method: Substitute language that is less emotionally loaded for "should" statements and labeling.
14. Reattribution: Instead of blaming yourself for a problem, think about all the factors that may have contributed to it.
15. The Acceptance Paradox: Instead of defending yourself against your own self-criticisms, find truth in them and accept them.
Would you like to try a relaxation exercise?
I recently discovered a series of DVDs and CDs that I think are great for relaxation and empowerment. Free samples are available online at TwentyGems.net - I recommend the I am trust and I am hope segments.
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