What is it?
Thought reframing is a technique that is used to change the way you think about yourself, a situation, experience, or event. The goal is to replace these negative, not helpful, or limiting thoughts with more positive, constructive, and empowering thoughts. Thought reframing helps you become more aware of your thoughts, which are connected to your emotions and behaviors. Continued negative thought patterns can lead to depression and anxiety, so tackling these and changing them to a more positive pattern can improve your overall mental health and well-being.
Practicing Thought Reframing
- To start working on reframing your thoughts, you first need to become aware of your thoughts and identify the negative ones, specifically the thoughts that cause stress or distress. These thoughts could be a belief about yourself, a situation, or another person.
- The second step is to challenge the negative thought(s). Ask yourself if the negative thought is based on facts or assumptions. What evidence do you have to support or disprove the thought(s)?
- The third step is to actually reframe the thought(s). Once you have challenged the negative thought, reframe it by replacing it with a positive and more empowering thought. For example, if your negative thought is, “I am not good enough”, you could reframe it to “I am capable and have been successful in the past with similar instances.”
- The last step is to practice the new thought and make the positive thinking patterns a habit. Repeat the new thought(s) to yourself regularly and try to add it into your daily life. Write them down, tape them to a wall or your fridge where you see it every day, or say it out loud every morning while looking at yourself in the mirror. Eventually, these positive thinking patterns will naturally become part of your daily routine.
Review
Thought reframing can be a powerful tool for improving your mental health and well-being. It can be used in a variety of situations, from everyday stressors to more serious mental health issues. Becoming aware of your thinking patterns and actively trying to make them more positive will set you up for a successful and empowering mindset, which will in turn make for a more positive outlook on life.
(n.d.). Learning about thought reframing. MyHealth.Alberta.ca Government of Alberta Personal Health Portal. https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/aftercareinformation/pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=abk7438
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