W.I.F.T.S.
20-06-06, 08:51
I've been to CBT and thought analysis has always come up a lot, but it hasn't been something that has really stuck with me until now. I've been reading Gloria Thomas's excellent book Anxiety Toolbox and there is an exercise about empowering thoughts and disempowering thoughts. The idea is to back up the empowering ones and to dissolve the disempowering ones. Here's mine. I hope you all join in with your own.
Disempowering thoughts
1. I've always been depressed, I have a depressive personality, so I always will be depressed.
I've always been depressed because i've always been passive and let my life be ruled by fear. I've recognised that problem now and I'm addressing it. I'm involved in several sporting clubs and my social life is coming on in leaps and bounds. My confidence is getting better all the time as I do more networking and make new friends. Why should I ever look back? I'm heading in a positive and exciting direction.
2. I'm not as strong as other people. I'm not normal. I can't do what they do.
I have had to be incredibly mentally strong to come through 4 years of depression, panic attacks and anxiety. I have let my comfort zone become very small because of fear, but I have stretched it in the past with learning to drive for example and I will continue to stretch it in the future. My anxiety threshold is lower than most people's, but that is something that I can improve with becoming desensitised to the things that I fear. Everybody has fears, I am no different from everybody else in that respect.
3. I've wasted years working in factories. I'll never get a decent job. getting my degree was a waste of time.
The voluntary work that I am doing is excellent for my CV and it doesn't matter what my background is for the sort of work that I want to get into- football coaching. Loads of people do courses and make career changes, I can do that too. I'm lucky that I've realised what I want to do and I should accept that my current job is only temporary to pay the bills. It could be worse, I could have no job or an even worse one than the one I've got. My degree wasn't a waste, I made some great friends, I did actually learn stuff and it gave me an opportunity to live away from home.
4. I'm not assertive enough. People don't give me respect. Everybody wants me to work for nothing.
There are thousands of people working in television for nothing. I wasn't a particular victim, that's just how the system works. If I was running the production companies I would do the same. I choose to be there for the experience. With my current voluntary work I wouldn't have got the job if it was paid work. I'm learning a hell of a lot and getting so much out of it, which is worth more than money. There's a good chance that it could lead on to something else and the website might even make money. I wouldn't have a webiste if it wasn't for my voluntary work.
I feel better already!!
Ships in harbour are safe..but that's not what ships were built for.
Disempowering thoughts
1. I've always been depressed, I have a depressive personality, so I always will be depressed.
I've always been depressed because i've always been passive and let my life be ruled by fear. I've recognised that problem now and I'm addressing it. I'm involved in several sporting clubs and my social life is coming on in leaps and bounds. My confidence is getting better all the time as I do more networking and make new friends. Why should I ever look back? I'm heading in a positive and exciting direction.
2. I'm not as strong as other people. I'm not normal. I can't do what they do.
I have had to be incredibly mentally strong to come through 4 years of depression, panic attacks and anxiety. I have let my comfort zone become very small because of fear, but I have stretched it in the past with learning to drive for example and I will continue to stretch it in the future. My anxiety threshold is lower than most people's, but that is something that I can improve with becoming desensitised to the things that I fear. Everybody has fears, I am no different from everybody else in that respect.
3. I've wasted years working in factories. I'll never get a decent job. getting my degree was a waste of time.
The voluntary work that I am doing is excellent for my CV and it doesn't matter what my background is for the sort of work that I want to get into- football coaching. Loads of people do courses and make career changes, I can do that too. I'm lucky that I've realised what I want to do and I should accept that my current job is only temporary to pay the bills. It could be worse, I could have no job or an even worse one than the one I've got. My degree wasn't a waste, I made some great friends, I did actually learn stuff and it gave me an opportunity to live away from home.
4. I'm not assertive enough. People don't give me respect. Everybody wants me to work for nothing.
There are thousands of people working in television for nothing. I wasn't a particular victim, that's just how the system works. If I was running the production companies I would do the same. I choose to be there for the experience. With my current voluntary work I wouldn't have got the job if it was paid work. I'm learning a hell of a lot and getting so much out of it, which is worth more than money. There's a good chance that it could lead on to something else and the website might even make money. I wouldn't have a webiste if it wasn't for my voluntary work.
I feel better already!!
Ships in harbour are safe..but that's not what ships were built for.