July 21, 2020
Hey YGT Family!
Any success putting your resilience tips into practice? We continue learning with tip #8:
Keep Things in Perspective
.
Consider difficult situations in a broader context. Zoom out and try to see a longer-term perspective. Things are hard now for sure, but they
will change. Humans have an innate instinct to survive and find creative solutions.
Don't let yourself get hijacked by fears and anxieties. You may have a case of the "What Ifs" as we call it - looking down the road, finding reasons to feel helpless or hopeless, and having a relentless focus on "What If" situations. These thoughts, tied to the future and good at capturing your attention, can lead you to ruminate and make things worse.
Psychologists call this
catastrophic thinking and it's a hallmark of anxiety disorders. So,
if you have the "What If" bug, pivot yourself to think
"Now What?" This requires a conscious effort to stop thinking about the catastrophic thought - this is what we call
thought stopping - and redirect your attention to a more hopeful topic or reframe to positive thinking.
Pause when you find your thoughts spiraling and pivot from the negative to the positive.
YOU GOT THIS!
___
