Here are Four Simple Steps to Shake Off the Negative Thoughts and
retake control of your brain.
(if you don’t do it, then who will..?)

Reframing Negative Thoughts

Increase YOUR Self Esteem

To increase self-esteem, try changing the way you think about yourself. You can reframe your negative thoughts about yourself into positive ones that support you instead of tearing you down. The following exercise will help you reframe your negative mental “snapshots” of yourself – replacing the dreary, old frame that surrounds each thought with a bright, shiny new one.

1. List “The Positives”

Write a list of all the positive things about yourself – all the things you like, things people have complimented you on, your strengths, talents, and abilities, positive aspects of your character, appearance, etc. Write down everything you can think of.

2. List “The Negatives”

Next, write a list of things you’d like to improve about yourself, or that are still “in process” – things you don’t like about yourself, etc.

3. Reframe “The Negatives”

Now go through the list from point 2 and – on a new sheet of paper – write a new positive version for each that “reframes” it in a self-supporting, self-encouraging way.

(For example, if you wrote “I can’t jump higher than 2 feet,” you might write the new version of “I’ve increased my jumping ability by 6 inches during the last year” or “I can jump with more accuracy than I could 2 months ago.” Another example might be if you wrote “I don’t like my face,” you might rewrite it as “my nose gives me a wonderful, unique character all my own” or “my eyes convey my beauty and love very clearly.” Make sure that you are still being honest in the new version you write – only write things that you honestly feel. In some cases, you may need to be creative to find the “silver lining.”)

4. Release “The Negatives”

When you are finished, tear up or burn your old list from point 2 (to symbolically release the negatives), and keep your original list of positives (from point 1) and your new “reframed” list (from point 3) to review periodically to help keep your self-esteem on track.

Keep in mind that the idea of this exercise is not to reject your self-criticisms, but to first acknowledge them, and then use them as a springboard into a more positive, productive way of thinking about yourself.

I love to hear your comments and hope in this present time that this mindset helps you reframe your thoughts. Do come back to me if I can help, as much of my efforts now are in helping employees to return to work after the COVID-19 crisis or adapt to working from home.

[ reprinted from an original blog by Gill Mathias. info@gillmathias.com ]

 This content is delivered by Peter Sylvester who is the Founder of Integrus Global.