Annie Sawyer, Ph. D.
Cognitive Restructuring is a process of changing your proper subconscious mind or thoughts. The goal is to help people overcome faulty thinking errors by bringing them to a level of conscious awareness of their incorrect mental programming. Focusing on negative thoughts can affect not only your mood, but also your health, leading to multiple diseases (cancer, heart disease, etc) and as a consequence a rate of elevated mortality. At the same moment, cognitive restructuring does not and must not have to deny negative feelings or distress. There are many things in our lives over which it is complitely appropriate to react with a dose of negativism, anger or frustration. In fact a low level of stress is even benefitial for our body and brain. I do not see anything wrong, we to be able to express our anger and frustrations while sharing thoughts, or confronting people who initilized this anger or frustration. In fact there are people with negative energy whom I call- "energetic vimpires", who can disrupt our homeostasis and to create constant anger, anxiety, low self esteem, depression and loneliness in others.
Expressing our anger by confronting them or simply by isolating them away of our World it is quite right and even curative. The above is a constructive reaction of self-preservation of our body and mind that helps to take decisions and to survive in the so called “flight or fight” situation. But if we emphasize mainly or predominantly on anxiety, depression, guilt, or anger- the above emotions are becoming extremely malignant on our triad- body/mind/spirit. Governed by strong negative emotions our mind becomes a filter, letting into conscious awareness only to those thoughts that reinforce the above mood and negative thoughts. Negative thoughts leads to diseases, create and stimulate pain, start up cancer and heart problems due to the fact that they are always powerful and persistent. Do not keep them hidden in your fear to not hurt the others. Do they excuse themselves when provoking your frustrations or anger?
Cognitive restructuring in cognitive therapy of learning is to refute cognitive distortions or fundamental "faulty thinking," with the goal of replacing one's irrational, counter-factual beliefs with more accurate and beneficial ones. People who are perfectionists and maximalists hold themselves to extremely high, even unrealistic, standards. They are vulnerable to making selective attention errors, focusing on what is negative while ignoring or devaluing what is positive. Because their standards are higher than the reasonable ones, and because they manage to ignore what is positive, instead focusing on what is negative, they will end up failing to meet them a fair portion of the time, and will feel bad about that failure. People whose expectations are more reasonable and less perfectionist are likely to meet their proper expectations more often and to feel comparatively better or healthier.
The cognitive restructuring theory holds that our own unrealistic beliefs are directly responsible for generating dysfunctional emotions and their resultant behaviors, like stress, depression, anxiety, and social withdrawal, and that we - humans can eliminate or be rid of such emotions and their effects by dismantling the beliefs that give them life. If we set unachievable goals a life of failure appears. Cognitive restructuring advises to change such irrational beliefs and substitute them with more possitive and rational ones.
Expressing our anger by confronting them or simply by isolating them away of our World it is quite right and even curative. The above is a constructive reaction of self-preservation of our body and mind that helps to take decisions and to survive in the so called “flight or fight” situation. But if we emphasize mainly or predominantly on anxiety, depression, guilt, or anger- the above emotions are becoming extremely malignant on our triad- body/mind/spirit. Governed by strong negative emotions our mind becomes a filter, letting into conscious awareness only to those thoughts that reinforce the above mood and negative thoughts. Negative thoughts leads to diseases, create and stimulate pain, start up cancer and heart problems due to the fact that they are always powerful and persistent. Do not keep them hidden in your fear to not hurt the others. Do they excuse themselves when provoking your frustrations or anger?
Cognitive restructuring in cognitive therapy of learning is to refute cognitive distortions or fundamental "faulty thinking," with the goal of replacing one's irrational, counter-factual beliefs with more accurate and beneficial ones. People who are perfectionists and maximalists hold themselves to extremely high, even unrealistic, standards. They are vulnerable to making selective attention errors, focusing on what is negative while ignoring or devaluing what is positive. Because their standards are higher than the reasonable ones, and because they manage to ignore what is positive, instead focusing on what is negative, they will end up failing to meet them a fair portion of the time, and will feel bad about that failure. People whose expectations are more reasonable and less perfectionist are likely to meet their proper expectations more often and to feel comparatively better or healthier.
The cognitive restructuring theory holds that our own unrealistic beliefs are directly responsible for generating dysfunctional emotions and their resultant behaviors, like stress, depression, anxiety, and social withdrawal, and that we - humans can eliminate or be rid of such emotions and their effects by dismantling the beliefs that give them life. If we set unachievable goals a life of failure appears. Cognitive restructuring advises to change such irrational beliefs and substitute them with more possitive and rational ones.
This is accomplished by leading the individual to:
1) Gain awareness of what detrimental thoughts and habits are and change them with your power of the will and reverse in positive thinking.
2) Identify your automatic thoughts and suggestions in specific circumstances or difficult and stressful situations.
3) Stop thinking negatively and change your thoughts with something positive or funny.
4) Breathe deeply through the diaphragm. Remember the rule of 4-7-8 in breathing.
5) Reflect on your situation and ask yourself: Why am I so distressed or angry to this person or situation?
6) Calm down and face that worrying never helps. Start a process of automatic thinking by learning to challenge your thoughts.
7) Substitute life-enhancing thoughts and beliefs.
And in fact:
1) Gain awareness of what detrimental thoughts and habits are and change them with your power of the will and reverse in positive thinking.
2) Identify your automatic thoughts and suggestions in specific circumstances or difficult and stressful situations.
3) Stop thinking negatively and change your thoughts with something positive or funny.
4) Breathe deeply through the diaphragm. Remember the rule of 4-7-8 in breathing.
5) Reflect on your situation and ask yourself: Why am I so distressed or angry to this person or situation?
6) Calm down and face that worrying never helps. Start a process of automatic thinking by learning to challenge your thoughts.
7) Substitute life-enhancing thoughts and beliefs.
And in fact:
Each person has two minds- the conscious and the subconscious. The conscious mind belongs to you, but your subconscious belongs to those who created or who raised you. Much of who you are hasn't much to do with you. Negative Programming is the cause of low self-esteem, and it is pretty much a byproduct of distorted thinking and self-defeating thoughts and behaviors. The negative circumstances in your life are not all your fault. They are objective and you can not change much while repeating them by constant visualization.
Remember nobody can make you happy except yourself. You are the one only responsible for your thoughts or actions. You may not have control over your subconscious mind, but you do over your conscious mind. Each person knows right from wrong. To become a criminal is not your karma, or inheritance - it is your choice and to become better person is again your choice. Select between the two.
We all know that sometimes life isn't fair. At the same time if you don't stop worry or what you are thinking and doing- life will get worst and it will become harder and harder to change it.
Much of our life is based on perceptions that are not necessarily the real truth. The more you learn about yourself- the happier you will be. In fact you are much better than you believe you are.
Everyone can change who he is by changing what he thinks, believes or is doing regardless of his circumstances. The rationale used in cognitive restructuring attempts to strengthen the client’s belief that: self talk or self assurance can influence your performance while self defeating thoughts or negative self-statements can cause emotional distress and also to interfere with your health and performance- a process that becomes a vicious circle after awhile.
Conclussion: The technique called cognitive restructuring can help you to change the automatism of thinking or reacting to difficult moments of our life. It provides a way to learn or to recognize negative automatic thoughts and irrational beliefs, making us aware of how they affect our physical condition and psychical behavior. Beyond that, I would urge you to eat well and exercise regularly and try to counter anxiety and stress with relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, T'hai Chi, T'hai Bo, visualization, and guided imagery.
Much of our life is based on perceptions that are not necessarily the real truth. The more you learn about yourself- the happier you will be. In fact you are much better than you believe you are.
Everyone can change who he is by changing what he thinks, believes or is doing regardless of his circumstances. The rationale used in cognitive restructuring attempts to strengthen the client’s belief that: self talk or self assurance can influence your performance while self defeating thoughts or negative self-statements can cause emotional distress and also to interfere with your health and performance- a process that becomes a vicious circle after awhile.
Conclussion: The technique called cognitive restructuring can help you to change the automatism of thinking or reacting to difficult moments of our life. It provides a way to learn or to recognize negative automatic thoughts and irrational beliefs, making us aware of how they affect our physical condition and psychical behavior. Beyond that, I would urge you to eat well and exercise regularly and try to counter anxiety and stress with relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, T'hai Chi, T'hai Bo, visualization, and guided imagery.
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The material in this newsletter is provided for informational purposes only. Thus our intentions are not to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent any disease. If you use the information in this newsletter without the approval of your health professional, the authors of this letter do not assume any responsibility. Copyright @ 2009, Natural Health-Wellness LLC. All rights reserved.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The material in this newsletter is provided for informational purposes only. Thus our intentions are not to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent any disease. If you use the information in this newsletter without the approval of your health professional, the authors of this letter do not assume any responsibility. Copyright @ 2009, Natural Health-Wellness LLC. All rights reserved.
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