OBSERVING UNHELPFUL THOUGHTS STUDENT WELLBEING TEAM Please click

OBSERVING UNHELPFUL THOUGHTS STUDENT WELLBEING TEAM - Please click on each slide for audio.

WELCOME TO THIS SHORT PRESENTATION ON OBSERVING UNHELPFUL THOUGHTS. • Our thoughts impact on how we feel and then as a consequence, how we behave. • Unhelpful or negative thoughts can be a part of life and can dictate how we go about our lives – how we feel, who we see, what we do (or not do): • “I’m not good enough” • “I will embarrass myself in front of everyone” • “I don’t think people like me or want to be around me” • “I never do as well as everyone else”

OBSERVING UNHELPFUL THOUGHTS – e. g. “I’m not good enough to pass my course” “People don’t like me” BEHAVIOUR – miss lectures, procrastinate, avoid people, isolate self/stop going out FEELINGS – worried, de-motivated, anxious, depressed, lonely

OBSERVING UNHELPFUL THOUGHTS • When we give emotional attachment to our unhelpful thoughts, we are influenced by the negative feelings these thoughts bring. This will have a negative impact on what we do, how we view ourselves, who we see etc. • It can also be very tiring listening to your inner critic all of the time. • Can you be sure this inner ‘chatter’ is right? This chattering voice is only your own assumptions/opinions – they are not facts, merely unhelpful thoughts. • As an example, you may have a piece of work to complete, a presentation to deliver, or an exam looming – that may be a fact. However, what isn’t a fact is how your unhelpful thoughts tell you how badly it will go!

OBSERVING UNHELPFUL THOUGHTS • Of course, we can enjoy pleasant thoughts by really opening them up and exploring them further! • Remember, our thoughts are only assumptions and personal opinions. Just because we may think something negative about ourselves does not make it a FACT. • But, if we allowed ourselves to detach our emotions and simply observe our unhelpful thoughts, and just notice they are there as passing moments in time, we also detach negative feelings associated with the thought.

OBSERVING UNHELPFUL THOUGHTS Metaphor 1 Sushi train metaphor: https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=tz. Uo. XJVI 0 wo

OBSERVING UNHELPFUL THOUGHTS Metaphor 2 Train of thought metaphor: https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=F 0 SWMICwtm 0

OBSERVING UNHELPFUL THOUGHTS • We do not need to try to get rid of these types of thoughts, or push them away, however we can learn to live alongside them without them having ruling how we live life. • We can label these as a “just one of those thoughts” - "I am now thinking about. . . ", "My thoughts are telling me. . . ", “I accept my thoughts are now telling me…” • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Cpd. VMs 818 AE

OBSERVING UNHELPFUL THOUGHTS • Over time, we can accept negative thoughts objectively and without exploring them or opening them up, and, be aware that they are just thoughts. We do not need to attach any emotion to them. • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=kwl. YXupjoa. I&list=PLfk. E 5 SKl 5 mikfcf 1_ow 9 nz. Zq. KBDv 9 Rwta&index =3 • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=BXAzd. XJGMe. E • https: //www. getselfhelp. co. uk/defusion. htm • https: //www. sydney. edu. au/content/dam/students/documents/counselling-and-mental-healthsupport/cognitive-defusion. pdf

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