THE BRAIN GYM

Our thinking is powerful - it affects how we feel and behave!

Any one of the elements in the Thoughts – Feelings – Behaviour cycle can affect each other and the cycle can go round and round, often making us feel stuck!

Everyone has negative thoughts, feelings and behaviours sometimes. It’s when they happen a lot of the time that they can have a negative impact on our mental health, self-esteem and resilience.

BUT we can influence this process ourselves and improve our mental health and wellbeing by doing exercises like those below.

Negative thinking habits can lead to negative feelings without us even noticing.

So we need to become aware of what our thoughts are.

Then we can challenge our thinking by examining the evidence for our thoughts and explore other ways of looking at ourselves or the situation.

Keeping a Thought Record for 7 days can help you to do this. As you do so, try asking yourself:

  • How likely is the outcome you’re worried about?

  • Is there good evidence for it?

  • Are there other explanations or possible outcomes?

  • Is there good evidence for alternative ways of looking at the situation?

  • What would you say to a friend if they were thinking this way

Positive self-talk and affirmations are positive statements we can repeat to ourselves that challenge negative thoughts and highlight positives.

Using them can increase our positive view of things and our positive self-esteem.

You can create your own powerful positive affirmations by identifying some of your negative thoughts and changing them to positive ones, perhaps using the Create Positive Affirmations resource below. Then:

  • Practice using a maximum of 3 positive affirmations at a time.

  • Try repeating your positive affirmations each morning when you wake up and before you go to bed (positive affirmations stick in our mind the more we repeat them and by repeating positive affirmations at the same times each day, they become a helpful habit and we start to think of them automatically). 

  • As you repeat them, take time to think about what they mean and how they make you feel.

We can all get in the habit of noticing the negatives in life and in ourselves more than the positive things.

Looking for positive elements of each day (even if small) helps to rebalance our thoughts and feelings.

Psychologists have found that keeping a Gratitude Journal can have an extremely positive impact on our mindset and wellbeing.

You can download and print off one below and follow it’s 3 simple steps, each day.

You are loved, loveable and worthy of kindness!

So practice self-compassion and self-care.

Self-Compassion

Self-compassion is when we show ourselves kindness, accept our flaws and imperfections, and forgive ourselves for mistakes and short-comings. Practicing self-compassion and self-kindness means treating our worth as unconditional, even when we fall short of our own expectations. Rather than being critical or judging ourselves harshly, we can treat ourselves with warmth and patience instead. No one is perfect!

Self Care

Self-care means taking the time to do things that support your own wellbeing physically, mentally and emotionally. Even small acts of self-care in your daily life can have a big impact.

Tips for Practicing Self-Compassion:

  • Despite what we might see on Insta, Snapchat or Tik Tok, no human being is perfect! Give yourself permission to be human – learn to accept that you will make mistakes or not be amazing in all areas, and that’s okay.

  • Think about how you would treat others that you care about. What does it mean to be kind, encouraging and supportive to someone else? Then be that friend to yourself

  • Lots of our negative thoughts and feelings come from how we think others perceive us and the social and media pressures we experience to be, or behave, or look a certain way. Deciding not to tie our positive self-image and happiness to outside influences is an act of self- kindness. Think about what you value and focus on growing that within yourself instead.

Tips on how to Self Care:

  • Just 30 minutes of walking every day can help boost your mood and improve your mental and emotional health. Small amounts of exercise add up, so don’t be discouraged if you can’t do 30 minutes at one time.

  • A balanced diet and plenty of water can improve your energy and focus throughout the day. Limit the amount of sugar you consume and caffeinated drinks such as energy drinks, cola and coffee.

  • Make sure you’re getting 8 - 10 hours of sleep each night and go to bed and get up at the same time for the majority of the time. Blue light from screens and devices can make it harder to fall asleep and into the deepest part of the sleep cycle. So reduce blue light exposure from your phone or computer before bedtime.

  • Explore relaxation activities or apps, which might incorporate muscle relaxation or breathing exercises. Schedule regular times for these and other activities you enjoy.

  • Decide what must get done now and what can wait. Learn to say “no” to new tasks if you start to feel like you’re taking on too much. Try to be mindful of what you have achieved at the end of the day, not what you have been unable to do.

  • Remind yourself daily of things you are grateful for. Be specific. Write them down at night and replay them in your mind.

  • Identify and challenge your negative and unhelpful thoughts

“When you first came here you didn’t speak to anyone, but look at you now - you are laughing and thriving!”

(One young person to another at the Youth Wellbeing Cafe)