Keep Calm and Carry On
Focus on your chosen slogan or positive self talk statement to help you cope during distressing times
KEEP CALM and USE YOUR DBT SKILLS:
Positive Self Talk
‘I can do it. ‘ ‘I’m good enough. ‘ ‘If I want to, I can. ‘ ‘It doesn’t matter if I make a mistake.
Just intentionally being curious about how your mind works and even labelling certain categories of thoughts widens the space between awareness and the thoughts themselves. In that space is where your choice and freedom live.
Here are a few categories of thoughts that you may find your mind drifting into:
Catastrophising—This is the mind’s “what if” game. It snowballs the worst-case scenario of the future with worried thoughts: What if this happens? What if that happens? These thoughts amplify anxiety and depression.
Blaming—This is a mind trap in which some uncomfortable feeling is expelled by holding ourselves responsible for another’s pain or holding others responsible for our pain. The problem here is that when you perceive the issue as lying outside of you, you give your power away to effect change.
Rehashing—This is when our thoughts reflect on past circumstances, going over them again and again, often in an effort to figure something out.
Rehearsing—This is the mind practicing some future event, playing through, again and again, the possible ways it may unfold.
1. Accept that negative thoughts will happen
Have you ever found yourself trying to put a positive spin on a bad experience even somewhere as private as your journal or in a conversation with your best friend? It’s not that bad, you might say. Or, It doesn’t bother me. This form of positivity bias happens because we consciously want to feel like we’re in control of our future and our lives. And who doesn’t want that?
2. Get the negative thoughts out of your head or meditate and visualise them
We tend to ruminate over negative thoughts and feelings that seem incomplete. An unresolved fight with a significant other or uncertainty over changes at the office can keep us awake for nights on end. While we can’t control how another person will respond or what will happen tomorrow at work, we can control the time and energy we allow for these thoughts.
3. Choose a time to focus on positive self-talk
Just as it’s healthy to take time for negative self-talk, it’s important to focus your energy on positive self-talk on a regular basis. I prefer to do this during my morning commute. I use this time to set my intention for the day and focus on the positive opportunities ahead.
4. Breathe.
As someone with an overactive mind, meditation has never come easily to me. However, I recently learned a technique that helps me stay focused. This breathing exercise can also be done during a quick work break or anytime you feel stress creeping in.
Set a timer for the amount of time you want to focus on the exercise (one to five minutes is a good starting point). Take a deep breath. When you exhale, begin to slowly move your thumb along the bottom of your pointer finger starting from the bottom. Continue exhaling until you’ve moved your thumb entirely up and down your pointer finger. Repeat this exercise until the time is up.
Here is the Decider Skills video on Keep Calm and Carry on…
Here are some more resources you can use:
