Overcoming Thoughts

In this activity, you will learn skills to overcome a thought you struggle with. With practice, you can integrate these skills into your life, helping you gain greater control over your thoughts and actions.

What thought are you struggling with right now?

Work on other common thoughts. Click on the thought you’d like to work on below to start.

1. Some thoughts come to our mind so quickly that it seems like they must be true. We often accept these thoughts without considering other ways of thinking.
  
  Let’s rework the thought you struggle with. What is a healthier version of your thought above? This might be a different way of viewing the situation or a more compassionate statement to tell yourself.
2. Looking at evidence for your reworked thought reinforces that thought. It encourages a more self-compassionate way of thinking.
  
  What evidence in your life supports your reworked thought above?
3. Sometimes reworked thoughts don’t seem believable. This may be because there are core automatic beliefs driving your initial negative thought. These core beliefs can influence the way we see ourselves, other people, and the world.
  
  What core belief is driving your initial thought above? (If you are struggling to identify it, try asking yourself, “If this were true, what would it mean about me? Why does this matter to me? What would happen if this were true? What would happen next?”)
4. Like reworking thoughts, we can rework core beliefs by identifying healthier beliefs. A healthier belief might be a different way of viewing the world or yourself, especially a more self-compassionate statement to tell yourself.
  
  Rework the core belief. What is a healthier version of your core belief?
5. One way to reinforce a healthier belief is to find evidence that supports the healthier belief rather than the core belief.
  
  What evidence in your life supports this healthier core belief?
6. Being hurt sucks. Part of healing is letting go and working towards believing your new healthier thoughts.
  
  Why is it important for you to let go of this thought? OR What would letting go of this thought let you do?
7. Recognizing biased thoughts, reworking them, and reinforcing these healthier thoughts is a skill. With practice, this skill can become more intuitive and eventually become a habit.
  
  This practice can help you feel more hopeful, confident and in control of your situation.
  
  Pretend you’re talking to a friend. What would you say to encourage them to recognize and rework thoughts like you do above?
8. What good would come from reflecting on your thought and reworking it like you did above?
1. What you do influences how you feel and think. If you change what you do, you can change how you feel and what you think.
  
  What could you do to make you feel better or think differently than the thought above?
2. When we do things despite having thoughts we struggle with, we can better reach our goals.
  
  What success might come from doing the thing above?
3. When you do new things, it is helpful to identify obstacles you might face.
  
  What is one obstacle you may encounter if you do the thing above?
4. Now that you’ve identified the obstacle, imagine how you could respond to it in a way that allows you to continue moving forward.
  
  How will you deal with that obstacle you identified to do the thing above?
5. Just like packing a bag for a vacation, sometimes you need to take steps to prepare to do something.
  
  What would be the first step of doing the thing above?
6. Sometimes we need support or encouragement to get something done – like a workout buddy or a to-do list to check something off.
  
  What would you need to help you do the thing above?
7. Recognizing biased thoughts and doing something despite them is a useful skill that can make us think and feel better.
  
  Pretend you’re talking to a friend. What would you say to encourage them to do things despite thoughts, like you did above.
8. What good would come from reflecting on your thought and reflecting on doing something to think and feel better like you did above?

What Others Are Saying

I will go crazy if I don’t control my racing thoughts

"I will go crazy if I don’t control my racing thoughts"

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I’ll never be able to do anything

" I’ll never be able to do anything"

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Self Doubt

"Self Doubt"

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I’m a failure

"I’m a failure"

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I feel like I'm never enough, not for me and not for anyone else. I feel like I try to do my absolute best and work very hard, but I'm not good enough. I don't like myself both physical but also mentally, like what kind of person I am. I feel like people are constantly judging me on what I do. I feel like I'm not enough, not worthy enough. I feel like I'm a failure

"I feel like I'm never enough, not for me and not for anyone else. I feel like I try to do my absolute best and work very hard, but I'm not good enough. I don't like myself both physical but also mentally, like what kind of person I am. I feel like people are constantly judging me on what I do. I feel like I'm not enough, not worthy enough. I feel like I'm a failure"

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I am a burden to my family.

"I am a burden to my family."

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I can't think clearly

"I can't think clearly"

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scared of myself

"scared of myself"

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No one cares about me

"No one cares about me"

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I’m worthless

"I’m worthless"

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No control

"No control"

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Me not being good enough for my friend and that is the reason why they attempted to kill them self.

"Me not being good enough for my friend and that is the reason why they attempted to kill them self."

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That im not good enough

"That im not good enough"

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burdensome to someone

"burdensome to someone"

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cleanliness

"cleanliness"

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I'm worrying too much about my mom and stressing too much about failing and not being good enough and sometimes I'm like oh well what if the people that say they care about me really don't. I don't like how people wait until the last minute of a person's life to tell them they love them like why not say how much you love them while they are alive. And also all of the names I've been called keep replaying in my head and I can distract myself from them but sometimes it gets to overwhelming. Sometimes I think about what life would be like if my dad never died when I was a baby. I just think I'm annoying and nobody actually likes me. I'm ALWAYS trying my best but I guess my best isn't enough

"I'm worrying too much about my mom and stressing too much about failing and not being good enough and sometimes I'm like oh well what if the people that say they care about me really don't. I don't like how people wait until the last minute of a person's life to tell them they love them like why not say how much you love them while they are alive. And also all of the names I've been called keep replaying in my head and I can distract myself from them but sometimes it gets to overwhelming. Sometimes I think about what life would be like if my dad never died when I was a baby. I just think I'm annoying and nobody actually likes me. I'm ALWAYS trying my best but I guess my best isn't enough"

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Worried I'm too far behind in all my classes, worried I won't get a frat bid, worried I'm going to lose my two best friends to other frats, etc

"Worried I'm too far behind in all my classes, worried I won't get a frat bid, worried I'm going to lose my two best friends to other frats, etc"

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that my friends joke around with me about my girlfriend and it messes with my head

"that my friends joke around with me about my girlfriend and it messes with my head"

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My SO is holding me back, doesn't care about me, uncontrollable thoughts.

"My SO is holding me back, doesn't care about me, uncontrollable thoughts."

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I am scared something bad will happen to the people I love

" I am scared something bad will happen to the people I love"

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Self harm

"Self harm"

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I am always thinking about my breathing

"I am always thinking about my breathing"

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It's pretty fucked up that if like to cut myself right now and I don't see a problem with it

"It's pretty fucked up that if like to cut myself right now and I don't see a problem with it"

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There are a lot

"There are a lot"

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My partner and I aren't having sex and I'm worried this means that something is wrong

"My partner and I aren't having sex and I'm worried this means that something is wrong"

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Regret

"Regret"

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Something I did that I regret

"Something I did that I regret"

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Focusing way too much on shit that makes me sad

"Focusing way too much on shit that makes me sad"

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Just a ton of stuff that makes me sad that i don’t need to be focusing on but i am

"Just a ton of stuff that makes me sad that i don’t need to be focusing on but i am"

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I don't trust my partner and feel like I'm always thinking about the issues I have in my relationship

"I don't trust my partner and feel like I'm always thinking about the issues I have in my relationship"

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Trusting Others, Completing Essential Motherly Duties, Lack of Ambition, Lack of Confidence, & Depression Mood Swings

"Trusting Others, Completing Essential Motherly Duties, Lack of Ambition, Lack of Confidence, & Depression Mood Swings"

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I could get sick and kill a bunch of people or they can kill me

"I could get sick and kill a bunch of people or they can kill me"

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I'm not doing what I'm supposed to be doing with my life

"I'm not doing what I'm supposed to be doing with my life"

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nobody wants to be with me, they never did and they never will.

"nobody wants to be with me, they never did and they never will."

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Overcoming Thoughts

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What Others Are Saying