Councelling Service in Sheffield Uni - Say 'NO' to negative thinking!

COUNCELLING Service in University of Sheffield presented tips which contribute to  the avoidance of  negative thinking especially during the exam period.

'What you think is not always true'

When you say 'I had a bad week at work so I need to quit' it means that you come to general conclusions based on a few examples.

The interpretation of the phrase 'My friend didn't agree with me, he hates me' is that you think that things are all good or all bad.

Likewise when you say 'I won't get this job because nothing good ever happens to me'  it means that you expect disaster all the time.

What happens is that some of these negative thoughts are completely true, some of them not true at all.

What you can do is to spot negative thoughts, see for what they are and confront them with more realistic ideas.

Example:

step 1-negative thought:
I'm a failure at everything

step 2-rational response:
I haven't failed at every single thing I've done.

step 3-New thought:
I'm not always successfull but I have some abilities.

Recognizing your negative thoughts is a part of a treatment called 'cognitive therapy'. A closely related type of therapy 'cognitive-behavioural therapy' helps you work on negative thoughts and then change the behaviours caused by the negative meaning. Both therapies can help treat and prevent depression and bipolar disorder.

For further reading visit the website: www.DBSAlliance.org

So, why not try to be the psychologist of yourself? Good luck!