Change Your Thinking For Stress Relief

Self-defeating thoughts, negative self-talk, and irrational beliefs are the cause of much of the stress in our lives. Most people are not aware of their stress-producing thinking. Through a technique known as cognitive restructuring, we can learn to recognize and change unhealthy thoughts and attitudes so that we can reduce stress and the physical symptoms related to it.

Unhealthy thinking often produces negative emotions, such as anxiety, fear, sadness, frustration, anger, or guilt. These negative emotions can in turn result in physical problems, such as headaches or fatigue, or behavior problems, such as irritability with friends or addictions. With cognitive restructuring, you first learn to identify your own cycle of thoughts, emotions, physical symptoms, and behavior. Then you learn to change your thinking, which can reduce stress, improve your relationships, and benefit your health.

Try this for yourself. What is one negative thought you are constantly telling yourself? Maybe it’s something like – “I hate this class, it makes me feel so dumb. I am dumb. I never understand what the teacher is talking about. I am never going to pass this class.” Take that thought and instead change it to – “This class is really hard, I am really struggling with it. Also I’m sure other people are struggling too, we should get a study group together and help each other.”

Changing your thoughts and your attitude can make a huge difference in the amount of stress you feel in your life. Take a minute each time you have a negative thought to change it to something that is more positive and will work for you.