What kind of thinker are you?
VERY EXTREME
You see things in black and white terms. If your performance falls short of perfect, you see yourself as a total failure. Or you may see yourself as "fabulous" when you do a good thing, thereby seting yourself up for disappointment later.VERY BROAD
You generalize beyone a specific facts of a situation, such as "always. never, everbody, nobody, anything, nothing." Or you label yourself or someone else in a very broadly negative way that goes beyond the poor behavior you started off thinking about (like "bad, stupid, ugly, incompetent, inadequate, worthless."VERY CATOSTROPHIC
You greatly exaggerate bad events until, in your thinking, they are full-blown catastrophies. You use words like "awful, horrible, terrible, tragic. end of the world." You ignore your coping rsources.VERY NEGATIVE
You notice only half-empty glasses and ignore the positive features in your life. You make unrealistically gloomy predictions about the future as well, using words like "empty, doomed, hopeless."VERY SKEWED
You "find" things that were hardly there--a hint or a clue becomes important evidence for you. You wear "feelers" for detecting for what you expected to find. And if you can't really find it, then you "manufacture" it from what you have at hand.VERY UNSCIENTIFIC
You ignore evidence, while asserting your own "facts." You use your feelings as "proof" of something, read the future, guess about someone's motives (without checking it out), and act on the basis of superstition and hearsay. You misjudge what is likely to happen.VERY POLLYANN-ISH
You convince yourself that problems don't exist, or that certain things are not important to you (when they are). You may also deny having feelings of a strong or negative sort, putting a "good face" on things.VERY SUPER-IDEALISTIC
You hold romanticized pictures of reality. You have beautiful but unrealistic expectations for yourself, for parents, for marriage, children, love, a profession, your workplace. Naturally, nothing in the world measures up to this kind of thinking.VERY DEMANDING
You insist on things being the way you want them to be--your own qualities and behavior, others' behavior, the way your life goes. You use words like "should, must, ought to, has to be." You cause yourself tremendous distress by keeping such rigid rules.VERY JUDGEMENTAL
You condemn yourself and/or other people for their failings. You find fault in many, many things, and your thinkin becomes more like a series of critical reviews.VERY COMFORT-ORIENTED
Your thinking is continually geared to how you can avoid pain and get what you want immediately. Your thinking expresses concepts such as "too hard, I need it right now, I can't stand this."VERY OBSESSED
Your thinking follows a single track even when it's not productive. You go over and over an issue in your mind, until it seems to be the only important thing in the world. It could be an obsession about another person, about something you have done (or not done), about approval, love, acheivement, cleanliness, or alomost anything.VERY CONFUSED
The "pictures in your head" don't match the real world, or you sense things are present or happening when they ae not. When your thoughts get out of touch with reality, you cannot depend on your perceptions or conclusions at that time.
REALISTIC SELF-TALK
This to shall pass and my life will be better.
I am a worthy and good person
I am doing the best I can, given my history and level of current awareness
Like everyone else, I am a fallible person and at times will make mistakes and learn from them.
What is, is.
Look at how much I've accomplished, and I am still progressing.
There are no failures only different degrees of success.
Be honest and true to myself.
It is okay to let myself be distressed for awhile.
/I will remain engaged and involved instead of isolating and withdrawing during this situation.
I am not helpless. I can and will take the steps needed to get through this crisis.
This is an opportunity, instead of a threat. I will use this experience to learn something new, to chnage my direction, or to try a new approach.
One step at a time.
I can stay calm whne talking to difficult people.
I know I will be okay no matter what happens.
He/She is responsible for their reaction to me.
This difficult/painful situation will soon be over.
I can stand anything for awhile.
In the long run who will remember or care?
Is this really important enough to become upset about?
I don't really need to prove myself in this situation.
Other people's opinions are just their opinions.
Others are not perfect, and I won't put pressure on myself by expecting them to be.
I cannot control the behaviors of others, I can only control my own behaviors.
I am not responsible to make other people okay.
I will respond appropriately, and not be reactive.
I feel better when I don't make assumptions about the thoughts or behaviors of others.
I will enjoy myself, even when life is hard.
Don't sweat the small stuff--it's all small stuff.
My past does not control my future.
I choose to be a happy person.
I am respectful to others and deserve to be respected in return.
There is less stress in being optimistic and choosing to be in control.
I am willing to do whatever is necessary to make tomorrow better.