Keep your network alive

Will you be immediately successful at neutralizing the threat or will your attempt just turn his attention to you and your loved ones? Can you be sure you won't hit an innocent bystander? Then there's always the risk that the police will mistake you for the bad guy. The best choice is still run. Use your gun only as a last resort to secure your safety if you can't get away. From now on, any time you are in a public place, take a second to make a plan. Play the what if game. Go through the run-hide-fight sequence. Most people get a sense of distance or separation from the thought. If this didn't happen for you, please try again with another self-judgement. Exercise 2: Singing thoughts Use the same negative self-judgement as above, or if it has lost its impact, pick a different one. Silently say this thought to yourself, believing it as much as you can, and notice what effect it has on you. Now replay this thought, word for word the same, singing it to the tune of `Happy Birthday'. Now replay that thought once more, but this time, sing it to the tune of your choice. What happened this time? Most people find the sense of distance or separation from the thought is greater than with the first exercise. Some people even find themselves smiling or chuckling, however that's not the point of the exercise. When I was nervous in the past, like when I got a new boss, I didn't have trouble talking. If I don't get the job, I can apply for other ones.

The best outcome would be that the interviewer will offer me the job on the spot. The most realistic outcome is that I'll have to apply for several jobs before I get one. Thinking I won't get the job just keeps me anxious. Realizing that it's not the end of the world if I don't get it makes me feel better. I'd tell GLENNY that it isn't the end of the world if he's nervous and doesn't get the job. But the more he practices, probably the less nervous he'll be. I should practice what I want to say and then act as if I'm not nervous (100%) Anxious (50%) I need to breathe in through my nose and exhale through my mouth. I can do 10 minutes every morning before work. Take a Walk - When I get anxious, I can walk it off. When I walk, I feel like the pressure gets lifted off my chest. I can walk to work and take the bus home. Work-Out - I need to get to the gym more often and do cardio exercises. I'll go three times a week, if I can, and do the treadmill. Get Out - I've got to spend more time outdoors. Meal Time - I want to eat more omega 3s, so I will eat more fish, green vegetables, and nuts each day. Me-Time - I'm around people all the time, so I need to do something I enjoy on my own. Where will you run to? If you are inside, let's say at a mall for instance, locate the nearest exit in all directions.

Where are the possible hiding places? And if necessary, what will you do if you're forced to fight for your life? Ready Kids are Safe Kids Soon after my daughter turned 2, I lost her in Super Target. We were standing in the baby section as I decided between two brands of diapers. One minute, my daughter was right there next to me and then she was gone. A gut twisting, eyes-see-white, panic washed over me. I tried to hold it together as I ran to the next aisle, screaming her name. The point is, when we hear our thoughts sung to music, it helps us to see their true nature: just like the lyrics in a song, our thoughts are nothing more nor less than words. Exercise 3: Silly voices Use the same negative self-judgement as above, or if it has lost its impact, pick a different one. Silently say this thought to yourself, believing it as much as you can. Now replay it, word for word the same, hearing it in the voice of a cartoon character, movie star or sports commentator. Now replay it again in yet another distinctive voice, for example that of a posh English actor or a sitcom character. This technique is similar to singing our thoughts. When we hear our thoughts said in different voices, again it helps us to separate from them - and recognise that they are nothing more nor less than words. Exercise 4: Computer screen Use the same negative self-judgement as above, or if it has lost its impact, pick a different one. Questions to help compose an alternative response: (1) What is the evidence that the automatic thought is true? What's the best that could happen?

What's the most realistic outcome? What could be the effect of my changing my thinking? Thought Record, side 2. Copyright (c) 2018 CBT Worksheet Packet. Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. CLINICAL TIPS Both worksheets contain similar questions, but the Testing Your Thoughts Worksheet has an easier readability level, and its more structured format is simpler and easier to complete. As you read in the previous article, first, you'll identify an important automatic thought and use one of the lists of questions with the client. I'll use Sunday afternoons to go hiking or golfing. Meditate - Meditation calms my thoughts and makes me feel really relaxed. I don't want to rush it, so I'll meditate after dinner for at least 20 minutes before I go to bed. When you picture yourself practicing your stress management techniques, you mentally and emotionally prepare yourself for the positive activities ahead, and knowing that you have something to look forward to creates a sense of relief and gives you hope. While you may have done the work already of visualizing a strategy for what techniques and methods of de-stressing you want to use, now it's time to develop an in-depth stress management plan that takes into account all the steps that can prepare you for dealing with your stressors, taking responsibility for organizing your thoughts, preparing for success, investing in your happiness, and managing your life in such a way that stress can't get the better of you. This plan is yours and yours alone, so there's no need to fill it to the brim with activities to please or impress anyone else. This is an opportunity for you to set goals regarding your personal life, your professional life, your relationships, your health, your well-being, and, most of all, your tailored stress-relieving techniques that give you the strength and know-how to send stress packing. Structuring Your Stress Management Plan You're the master of your plan, so take time to consider all the stress managing elements that stand out for you. Your personal plan should be structured around these four stages of stress management: She's not there. Teetering on the edge of hysteria, I continued to the next aisle.

As I turned the corner of the third aisle, I saw her. The crazy instantly went away, although it took me several minutes to catch my breath. Nothing scares us more than not being able to protect our children. We want to give them the freedom to go out and play without us but deep down, we worry someone may take them if we're not there. We allow them to access the Internet and then we question our decision. How can we be sure who they are talking to? There's a news report of a child accidentally shooting himself and we think what if? We're frustrated when our child tells us he is bullied, but other than taking care of that bully once and for all ourselves, we don't know how to help him handle the situation. Silently say this thought to yourself, believing it as much as you can. Now close your eyes, imagine a computer, and see this thought as words on the screen, written in simple black text. Now play around with the font and the colour of the text. Don't change the words themselves; Now put the words back into simple black text, and this time, play around with the formatting. First, space the words out - large gaps between them. Now run all the words together - no gaps between them. Now run the words vertically down the screen, underneath each other. Finally, put the words back into simple black text, and this time add in a karaoke ball, bouncing from word to word, back and forth. And if you like, just for good measure, also sing the thought to the tune of your choice. If the intensity of the client's automatic thoughts and emotions decrease, you can then demonstrate how to write the answers and other information on one of the two worksheets. Note that you could pull out a worksheet immediately after identifying an important automatic thought.