We can change our irrational self-talk by stopping irrational thoughts and reframing them.
Irrational:
It is horrible if someone gets mad at me or doesn't like me
.
Rational: I don't like everyone, so why should I expect everyone to like me? People have a right to all of their emotions, including anger.
Irrational:
I must be rigorously competent and almost perfect in everything I undertake.
Rational: I am not perfect and I never will be. I can learn valuable lessons from every mistake that I make.
Irrational:
It is terrible when people and things are not just as I want them to be.
Rational: We all have different ideas about how things should be and I can learn to appreciate the diversity. I am not in control of all events nor other peoples' lives.
Irrational:
We all have different ideas about how things should be and I can learn to appreciate the diversity. I am not in control of all events nor other peoples' lives
.
Rational: It is true that my past has influenced me, but no matter where I have been, I am responsible for the person I become and where I go in the future
.
Irrational:
If I felt better about myself, I would behave better. My low self-esteem is why I don't do the things I should do.
Rational: I can't wait until I feel good about myself to do what I need to do in life. Good self-esteem follows esteem-worthy actions, not the other way around.
Irrational:
It is wrong or bad to be selfish.
Rational: No one in the world knows my needs and wants better than me and no one else is responsible for my happiness. I accept that responsibility.
Switching from irrational to rational self-talk does not happen overnight; lifetime habits are difficult to shed.
The first step is to recognize irrational thoughts and be willing to give them up.
Only then can we begin to catch ourselves mid-thought and reframe the messages we give ourselves about the world .
10-20-2006, 08:45 AM
irrational to rational
