This module will cover how and why we think like we do and how that can affect our resilience and ultimately how you can help yourself to being more resilient in everday life.
The following image contains hotspots with some suggestions about what may have changed to alter your resilience, you probably have lots more noted down than you read here. The purpose of this activity is to start noticing those things which are happening around you and to that can play a huge part in your resilience.
Unhealthy thinking is, in large part, a function of negative belief systems, these are often installed by others during our childhood and continue on into adulthood. Some people go through life with positive thoughts and their glass is always half full and other go through life with negative thoughts and their glass is always half empty. Which type are you? The longer we think a particular way, the harder it is to change our thoughts and beliefs, although not impossible. So, let’s start investigating how you think.
Stephen Covey’s circle of concern and circle of influence In his book the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989) he distinguishes between proactive people – who focus on what they can do and can influence – and reactive people who focus their energy on things beyond their control. Reactive people will maintain an attitude of victimisation and blame.
Ok – time to take out your resilience planning pad and make another note for your own application. In your own words, respond to the following questions pertainig to the circle of influence mentioned above:
Planning and strategy begin with observation and assessment and you have made some very key observations about your own specific situation so far, now proceed to the next sections to learn about Automatic Negative Thoughts and Positive and Affirming Thoughts or “ANTs” and “PATs” ….
Dr. Daniel G. Amen, a psychiatrist, physician and author, calls this type of thinking ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts). He says that ANTs are “cynical, gloomy, and complaining thoughts that just seem to keep coming all by themselves”. As humans we all have negative thoughts. What type of negative thoughts do you have? Write these in your resilience notepad. To help get you started, the following slides contain a few examples along with key information to help you understand the impact of ANTs and how they work…..
ANTs are thoughts like this:
One of the biggest problems is that these thoughts become self-fulfilling prophecies.:
One of the biggest problems is that these thoughts become self-fulfilling prophecies.:
As opposed to automatic negative thoughts, “positive and hopeful thoughts lead to positive behaviours. They help you to feel better about yourself and be more effective in your day-to-day life. Hopeful thoughts also help you connect with others. We’ll talk about these in a moment, but first have a look at the 9 most common ANTs and consider which of these might apply to your own ANTs…
Which of these ANTs do you fall into most? Make a note on your resilience notepad.
PATs are Positive & Affirming Thoughts. PATs are the antidote for those stubborn ANTs in your life. The following graphic represents a three-fold strategy for turning ANTs into PATs:
The next time you notice an ANT entering your mind, recognize it, challenge it and turn it around. Do this on a consistent basis and you will take away the ANTs’ power, allowing you to gain control over your mood and ultimately your happiness.
Now give it a try with one of your own ANTs, make a note on your resilience note pad.
Here are six questions which may help you going forward to reframe your ANTs. Make a note of them on your notepad to keep as a reference going forward.
Let’s investigate how our brain functions to fully understand why ANTs happen.
If you notice that the limbic part of the brain is beginning to take over and you find yourself unable to make decisions rationally, a great strategy to counter this might be to try and calm yourself down and stop those chemicals from bombarding your body.
You will have heard of meditation and mindfulness and this really does reduce the cortisol and adrenaline in your system.
The following short quiz consists of multiple choice and true false questions which pertain to information delivered in this module. Proceed through each question by selecting the arrow at right to complete this module.
Upon completion of this module’s material above, select the “mark complete” or “next module” button below to record your progress to proceed to the next module. This will save your place and your work on the course thus far and will enable you to complete the assessment at the end of the course.