This strategy aims to teach you to be kind and non-judgemental to yourself.

Our thoughts drive our behaviour, if we believe our thoughts then they become true.

Whenever a negative thought like ‘I can’t do this?’ ‘I am rubbish at this’ comes into your mind when trying to complete an activity or before you even start. Question yourself?

‘Is it true?’

Research has shown that good thoughts release healthy chemicals and negative thoughts release unhealthy chemicals into your brain.

Thoughts are extremely powerful and they cause emotional and physical reactions in your body.

Thoughts are automatic they just happen and they are based on complex chemical reactions and your memories.

You DO NOT have to believe every thought that you have, sometimes your thoughts are wrong!

Learn how to take control of your thoughts

If you believe that your thoughts are not always true then you already have control. Throughout your whole life you will have thoughts because that is what our brains do, and those thoughts can be positive or negative. By identifying and challenging the negative thoughts they will lose their power over your behaviour and you.

Let’s look at an example:

Negative thought – ‘Why does that teacher always pick on me?’

Is it true?

Before accepting this as true and it becoming a belief. STOP.

Be aware of how you are feeling at that precise moment, notice where you feel it in your body.

Observe the feeling, does it feel good, feels bad or neither good or bad.

Accept the feeling – don’t try to stop it, change it or make new thoughts about it.

Be aware of how the thought caused the physical presence in your body and your triggered emotion or emotions.

Accept the emotions and at the same time that these emotions do not equal you. They are passing and will leave.

Then ask yourself ‘is the teacher actually always picking on me or are they simply doing their job?’

For every negative thought you have there is an alternative way to think about it.

When you identify a thought as negative and change it to an alternative you will free your brain to concentrate on the task you are trying to start or complete.

As the negative thought passes out of your mind and you begin to feel it’s strength weaken. Congratulate yourself on a job well done and that you will be able to do the same the next time it happens.

Sometimes it takes time to identify the negative thoughts as their strength is overpowering and our emotions and behaviour are completely slave to them. But keep practising and it will happen.