- Information
- AI Chat
Worksheet documents
Bachelors in Arts (BA001)
Karnataka State Open University
Preview text
Cognitive Reframing Exercise Worksheet
Learning to choose a healthy alternate thought gives you power over both your behavioral response and your emotions.
Reframing is a cognitive restructuring process that involves learning to consciously choose a healthier thought when the healthier thought is just as likely as the negative one. With consistent practice, and a determination to change negative thinking, you'll notice your reflexive thinking becoming more positive.
Instructions:
IDENTIFY
Begin by identifying a commonplace situation that would typically cause you to have a negative thought, and consequently to feel an unhealthy emotions.
Examples:
A. Another driver inadvertently cuts you off and you become angry while thinking to yourself "that person is a jerk who only cares about herself".
B. Your teenager locked his/herself in the room and refuses to talk to you - you think "I'm a bad parent" - causing you to feel anxious.
C. Your boss says something terse and you feel unsettled and think, "she's gonna be a horrible boss - she has no people skills".
D. A family member or friend lectures you for not arriving when you said you would - you feel agitated and think "this person is a fault-finder, they always pester me over little things"
REFLECT
Examine the aspects of the situation that are under your control. Do your behaviors contribute to your tendency to think negative thoughts and feel negative emotions?
A. Do you routinely run late for work - causing you undue stress and putting you on edge?
B. Do you have unrealistic expectations of how your adolescent son/daughter "should" communicate?
C. Do you have the habit of handing in work assignments late or poorly done - making you hypersensitive with anticipation of being called out?
D. Do you have the tendency to over commit - leaving you vulnerable to agitation when others bring-up your failure to honor commitments?
REFRAME
Practice choosing a healthier thought.
If the immediate opportunity to "talk it through" with the other person is not possible, then pause and consider other "just as likely" explanations for their behavior by asking yourself;
What might I be overlooking in this situation? How might an optimistic and objective observer interpret the situation? If I were to pull-back and emotionally disconnect from the situation - what might I notice? Are there other "just a likely" explanations for this persons behaviors?
The thought process goes something like this...
A. Perhaps that driver cut me off while heading to the hospital for an emergency.. hope all is okay!
B. My son/daughter has had a hard time making friends this year and their behavior has more to do with what's going on in their life then it does with my parenting ... I wonder how I can help?
C. My boss is new and under a lot of pressure - she's probably a nice person and doesn't even realize how abrupt her remark sounded. I'll bring it to her attention when things settle down.
D. My family and friends hold me accountable because I'm important to them, and that is very comforting to know.
Continued...
Worksheet documents
Course: Bachelors in Arts (BA001)
University: Karnataka State Open University
