and challenge Automatic Thoughts [The inner voice] and use the following guidelines to reach more rational thoughts:

Ask Yourself...

1. What is the evidence?

What evidence do I have to support my thoughts?

What evidence do I have against them?

2. What alternative views are there?

How would someone else view this situation?

How would I have viewed this situation if I were not so anxious about _____?

3. What is the effect of thinking the way I do?

Reflecting on how your thought patterns influence your reaction to stress, this guide focus on how you can use Alternative Thinking as a means to further improve your stress management skills. To change your initial thoughts or reflect on them is not easy when you are in the moment of a stressful situation, but these questions and thought patterns does help in preparing you to be alert to, and adjust your thoughts, when you are in a similar situation.

So What can you do?

What action can I take? What can I do to change my situation? Am I overlooking solutions to problems because I think they won’t work?

You need to learn to identify

Does this way of thinking help me or does it hold me back? If so, How?

Other Strategies include:

If you find yourself thinking that you are no good at anything and a failure, rather than continuing in this thought – you may try to change it to something more balanced and realistic.

A different thought would be to say ‘that you are good at many things, and it’s OK not to be perfect at everything’.

By changing your thoughts in this way, you can take some pressure off yourself, and this may paradoxically make it easier for you to do things that were previously causing you stress and anxiety.

What is Alternat ive Think ing?

Challenge your thoughts

Challenging your negative thoughts in this way over a period of time can make a huge difference to your levels of stress and self-esteem.

Rather than seeing yourself as a helpless individual with no control over our thoughts, emotions or behaviours, you might find a more balanced approach will allow you to enjoy and value your life more, and

also change the way you see other people as well.

You may want to read further on challenging your thoughts and creating more healthy alternative thoughts from the other guides we have available here: You can read:

Guide 7. Automatic Thoughts. Guide 10. Socratic Questioning & Guide 13. Alternative Questioning.

Guide 11: Alternative Thinking

Stress Diary Journal Your Guide

Stress Diary Journal Guides Guide 11: Alternative Thinking

‘Having an alternative

thought is just that,

an optional thought that

can be Replaced’

Ask Yourself…

1. What is the evidence?

What evidence do I have to support my thoughts?

What evidence do I have against them?

2. What alternative views are there?

How would someone else view this situation?

How would I have viewed this situation if I were not so anxious about _____?

3. What is the effect of thinking the way I do?

Does this way of thinking help me or does it hold me back? If so, How?

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The Stress Diary Journal This 4 week programme to complete stress mastery, is an invaluable tool to effectively manage your stress - to gain insight and explore self understanding. The Stress Diary Journal allows you to record your daily stress incidents & to monitor these incidents and analyse them – on a daily basis, for a period of 4 weeks. Divided into 4 weekly sections for you to master your stress progressively and more competently, it helps you review your initial appraisals, stress responses, your reactions & to identify your stress triggers, to then restructure your thoughts, your attitude and subsequent behaviours. You will be able to easier identify negative behaviour patterns, to increase your stress awareness, to learn new coping skills and to let you adapt new & alternative strategies. You will learn renewed self management skills, inner control, effective goal setting, time management skills, to overcome obstacles and increased perseverance to complete set tasks and to instil newfound routines, competencies and behaviours. It helps you to know yourself and manage your life more completely. This is an invaluable tool to gain unique insight, explore self-understanding, learn stress management skills and effectively manage your stress – in 4 weeks!

The Stress Diaries we have available

Stress Diary: Daily Recorder Journal A companion guide to the Stress Diary Journal in a handy size to carry about , and for you to easily record your daily stress entries. Each Stress entry is individually presented for ease of recording ‘on the go’ and to then transfer these entries to your Stress Diary Journal, or this Stress Diary: Reflection Journal, at the end of your day. Making remembering these Stress incidents/events much easier and keeping you in touch with managing your stress more effectively.

Stress Diary: Reflection Journal This Stress Reflection Diary Journal is a companion guide to the Stress Diary/Journal and used as an additional tool to further enhance your insight and understanding of your stress. You are to choose 1 significant Stress Entry per day, from your Stress Diary Journal for the length of your 4 week programme, that you may want to elaborate and focus on. Using the guideline questions and answer spaces that are provided, and you can add your personal notes or thoughts about your day or progress. Weekly summaries of your progress are included, to advance and monitor your progress and by answering these questions and adding your own observations, you will increase your skills at understand, managing your reactions and responses to your daily stress triggers and stressors. The Reflection Journal is an easy way to record and focus on how to reflect on your experiences and how you can learn from it. Get these Stress Diary Journals at www.stressdiaries.com

With a purchase of any of these Diaries, you get full Stress Management Support @ www.stressdiaries.com

Get a FREE Relaxation Music MP3 ! With your purchase of any of these

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