The Power of a Thought
As clinicians, we are trained to use a variety of therapeutic techniques so we can be adept in multiple ways to best serve our patients in their time of need. I have found that I gravitate toward Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as my foundation in sessions. It is an excellent treatment modality for a variety of topics or areas of concern. Without getting too far in the weeds, this type of therapy builds upon a core principle that our thoughts impact our feelings, and our feelings impact our behaviors. Let me give you an example:
A little leaguer is preparing for their first game. They may have some thoughts, wanted or unwanted, that they will perform so poorly that they cost their team the game.
After repeated thoughts of “I’m going to mess up”, “I don’t want to be considered a let-down”, or “I just suck”, they begin to feel pretty crummy. The anxiety kicks into overdrive as the start of the game is rapidly approaching. Feelings of “impending doom” also known as the worst-case scenario seem to be only moments away. Behaviors such as restlessness, irritability, seeking-reassurance may become noticeable.
Once the game starts, they may perform poorly or strike out when there were runners in scoring position. The worst thing that happens is after the game, they begin to believe in those nasty things they said about themselves earlier in the day. That thought process turns into, “I mean, I did strike out! If I could actually hit the ball, I would have scored those runs, and we would have won the game! I am a failure.” Those dreadful feelings they experienced now feel justified.
Repeat this thought process over and over and over and welcome to persistent and pervasive depression and anxiety. It’s not always this direct and things like trauma, neglect, abuse, substance use, and many others contribute to this distorted thought process.
We likely can relate to this little leaguer. On a daily basis, you may be combating some form of negative or distorted thoughts. For some, it may just be a fleeting thought that comes and goes which causes a minimal disturbance in life. For others, it may be a constant battle that has led to severe mental health concerns. For the rest, I would bet it’s somewhere in between.
CBT is an empowering tool that allows us to realize how much power we actually have. Our core values as people are learned over time. This is encouraging because you can change learned behaviors. If we can accept that the validity of our negative thoughts may and should be challenged, we can actually change our feelings about ourselves, those around us, and the world we live in. The power YOU yield is stronger than you realize.
Let’s say instead of accepting the thoughts of “letting our teammates down” or “being a failure”, we challenge those thoughts and replace them with something positive or even realistic. For example, “I may strike out, or make a mistake, but I am going to try my best. That’s within my control.” That probably does not lead to the severity of negative feelings that the poor little leaguer experienced. And I would bet they probably had a better outcome in the game or a better perspective afterwards.
My point is that sometimes, our negative thoughts become habitual. We forget that this is our faulty thought process we became accustomed to and have accepted these opinions as facts. And if we feel they are factual, then everyone around us must to. That itself is a distorted thought and must be challenged!
Change is hard and it isn’t fast. But if you actually put effort into yourself and start to identify these negative thoughts, I promise you’ll see results.
Be kind to yourself and challenge yourself. You have much more power and control than you give yourself credit for.
How many negative thoughts get in your way each day? Take some time to reflect on this and if you feel comfortable, please leave a comment below. I believe there is power in recognition of a faulty thought process as it’s the initial step in realizing there may be another way to view the situation.
