Tips for healthier thinking
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Summary: What do I need to know?
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When you recognize a thought is negative or unhelpful, you can try to change the thought into something more helpful.
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Some questions you can ask yourself...
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Am I looking at the whole picture?
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Am I being too hard on myself?
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What other possible outcomes are there?
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Focusing on changing what is in your control and accepting what is uncontrollable can also help break you out of a negative thinking spiral.
Reframing Beliefs: Reframing means changing the way you look at things by changing unhelpful thoughts. It may sound too simple to be effective. But with some practice, you’ll find that you can really use these tools to change how you think and in time, improve your stress and pain.
Changing how you think ultimately changes how you feel.
3 tools for reframing:
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Accept the uncontrollable – recognizing and accepting what you can’t change
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Focus on the controllable – focus on the aspects of the situation that you can change
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Identify the realistically positive aspects or possible good outcomes of situation – There are 2 ways to use the positive. First, identify the realistically positive aspects of a situation. Next, acknowledge your own competence or ability to deal with a situation.
Try asking yourself these questions when you're feeling very down, sad, or worried.
Also, ask yourself the following questions to help you reframe those negative and unhelpful thoughts:
Is there objective support/evidence for this idea?
What evidence exists that this idea might be false?
What is the worst thing that might happen?
What good things might happen?
What is the most realistic outcome?
Is this thought helpful?
Challenging your thoughts with these questions can help you modify your perspective and break out of some spiraling thoughts.
Some people find it especially helpful to reframe expectations too! Let's use an example that relates to pain.
Patient Experience - 49 years old, thyroid cancer
"I can't expect the pain meds to cure my pain entirely. They definitely help but some days, I just need to take a break from worrying about my cancer, step outside, take a break, and get some fresh air. In a couple of hours, this pain might be better."
The idea of reframing expectations can apply to other things too! Let's take a look at some techniques from other patients.
Patient Experience - 49 years old, thyroid cancer
"Learning about myself and my limits has been a big thing for me. In the beginning, I over-scheduled everything because I wanted to just get out. Now I know my limits. I used to be so independent; it was a very hard transition."
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All or Nothing ThinkingAm I too extreme in my thinking? Are there other ways of looking at it?
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Should StatementsIs this a rule that applies to everyone else? If not, maybe this is a preference rather than a rule.
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Extreme Negative ThinkingAm I 100% sure of these awful consequences? Am I jumping to conclusions too quickly? Do I know for certain that this will happen? What other possible outcomes are there? What is the most realistic outcome? What is the likelihood that _______ will happen? What is the worst that could happen? How bad is that and could I cope with that?
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OvergeneralizationDoes ___ have to equal or lead to________ ? Have I ever had situations in my life when___ did not lead to____? Am I being too extreme in my thinking? Am I jumping to conclusions too quickly?
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Jumping to ConclusionsDo I know for certain what the other person is thinking? Do I have telepathic powers? Even if s/he were to think this about me, does __________ 's opinion reflect everyone else's?
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Emotional ReasoningIs my emotional experience necessarily reflective of the situation? Am I reading too much into my emotions? What do I know to be true? Has my emotional interpretation ever led me to the wrong conclusion? Could my emotions or how my body feels be coloring my appraisal of the situation? Will I come up with the same conclusion if I wait 30 minutes?
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Forgetting the PositiveAm I being too critical of myself? Am I being fair to myself? Would I believe this person if s/he were to tell me something bad?
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Mental FilterAm I being partial to what I pay attention to? Am I disqualifying the positive? Am I looking at the whole picture? Am I focusing on a negative detail? Would I be this tough on a friend?
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Fortune-tellingDo I know for certain that this will happen? Do I have a crystal ball? Could there be any other explanation? Do I have special powers to look into the future? Have I ever been wrong? How accurate have I been when I have foretold the future?
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Magnification/MinimizationAm I being too hard on myself? Would I be this tough on my friend? Am I being fair to myself?
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Labeling/MislabelingWhat is the definition of ________? Am I being fair to myself by labeling myself? How useful is it to be labeling myself? Is this the only thing that defines me? What more is there about me?
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PersonalizationAm I reading too much into this? Am I really that powerful? Are there any other reasons unrelated to me why things turned out this way? Could something else be going on?
Twelve Unhelpful Thought Patterns
There are certain types of thoughts, or certain thought patterns, that we can target with reframing strategies. Click the arrows or buttons below to learn and practice some questions you can ask yourself in the moment to help you cope!
Remember... your care team is here to help!
You are not alone as you build skills to help with unhelpful thoughts. Your care team, friends and family, and this app are all here for you! If some of your thoughts are particularly stressful, bring them up to your doctor at your next visit.
© Desiree R. Azizoddin, Board of Regents of University of Oklahoma, 2022.