Flexible Thinking
There are many sides to every story
Steps
- Take something that you have been worrying about, e.g. a job interview.
- Write down the first thought that comes into your head about this thing, e.g. "I won't be able to answer their questions".
- Now write as many other perspectives / outcomes as you can. They can be good, bad or neutral, and likely or unlikely. E.g. "The interview will go well", "I will discover I don't want the job", "The company will go bankrupt during the interview".
- Now circle the most realistic perspective / outcome.
- Reflect. Have your feelings changed? Is the situation less black and white than you thought?
Tips
- When you see what actually happens, come back to your answers and compare what actually happened with what you predicted.
- The job interview example uses a situation with an outcome, but you can also use a situation with a general perspective, e.g. "I think this person hates me".