STEPS TO CHANGING NEGATIVE THINKING

As you think about changing your negative thinking, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Be specific about the behavior you want to change. What do you want to do to increase your effectiveness? You should believe that what you want is possible.
• Begin each self-talk statement with a first person pronoun such as "I" or "My."
• Use a present-tense verb, such as am, have, feel, create, approve, do, or choose. Don't say, "My ability to remember the names of other people will improve." Instead, focus on the present by saying, "I have an excellent memory for the names of other people."
• Describe what you want to achieve. Be sure to phrase the statement as if what you want has already been achieved. Say, "I am a slim 120 pounds," as opposed to "I am losing 30 pounds."

Enter your answers in the spaces provided. Refer back to the examples if you get stuck. This is a required activity and is graded as complete/not complete.  Copy and paste this assignment onto a Word document before you complete it.  Remember to use the “Track Changes” tool.

1. My Self-defeating Behavior is:

2. What I am saying to myself about my SDB is:

3. A better thought would be:

4. Other thoughts supporting my more positive view of the situation:

5. In light of the more positive way you have identified of approaching the situation, write what you will say to yourself to challenge your negative thinking about your SDB:

Saving and Submitting Assignments

Save this assignment in your folder and e-mail it as an attachment to your teacher.

Use the name of the assignment as the title of your saved file.  Ex.  Unit 4 Project