12 Feb 2019
It’s quite amazing how our minds work. How we think can actually change how we feel. Sometimes our problems can feel even bigger than they are when our thinking becomes unhelpful. Here are some ways that we may do this:
- Exaggerate the truth, eg: “I have NO friends”
- Jump to conclusions, eg: “That teacher hates me!”
- Make things out to be worse than they really are, eg: “There’s no point trying as I’ll never be able to understand anything at school.”
- Ask questions we can’t answer, eg: “Why can’t I look like/be like him or her?”
Thinking like this can often make us feel helpless and alone and influence the way we act. It may be worthwhile looking at how you’re thinking about a problem and ask yourself:
- Am I being too hard on myself?
- Have I got all the facts or am I making things up?
- Is the way I’m thinking about this helpful?
- Is there a better way I could be thinking?
If the problems still seem overwhelming there are many people at school you can speak to – teachers, year advisors, support staff, deputies, myself or the school counsellors - who would be more than happy to listen.
Sourced from p:34-35 of Scripture Union’s “It’s Your Move!”
Mrs Leanne Begg
