Keep a record of things that went well.
Many studies have shown the benefits of taking stock of positive events in our lives.
The practice is simply to write down at the end of each day, see things that went well next, write
down why they went well, sheer luck, something you did, something another person did constantly.
Completing this exercise leads to greater happiness and less depression.
It also presents many opportunities to find evidence against your negative belief.
For example, a woman who believes I never do anything right may discover that she successfully resolved
a difficult work issue which contradicts her core belief.
Brush your shoulders off.
Once we've identified our negative core belief will have a pretty good idea of the types of thoughts
it will send away with a practice.
We can take our negative, automatic thoughts less seriously.
Initially, it's essential to delve into the thoughts, write them down, look for evidence and so forth.
And then we reach a point at which we know with confidence that the automatic thoughts aren't telling
the truth.
At that point, we can shift to quickly dismissing the thoughts, in effect, giving them the minimal
attention they deserve.
Most people find it's helpful to have a set phrase that signals the brush off the automatic thoughts.
Here are some examples to give you a feel for.
For it, it's important to have one that fits your own voice and style, for example.
Or you again.
Good one.
Oh, no, you don't.
And Sara, be careful not to adopt a phrase that feels self-critical.
We don't want to make this exercise feel punishing.
As we start taking negative thoughts less seriously, we begin to develop a different relationship with
our thoughts.