What we think about a situation or event will determine feeling and emotions and later, behaviors and actions. In early addiction recovery, our thoughts are often not in line with what 98% of the world would think about the same event that we are thinking about.
Someone is looking at me, I think they are challenging me, I feel disrespected and I say what the heck are you looking at, and I am ready to fight. Let’s challenge that thought. Ok someone is looking at me, maybe he likes my shirt and is wondering where I got it, if that is the case I certainly don’t want to fight the guy. What changed? My thought, belief or interpretation of the event.
Changing the thought led to a different emotion which led to a different action (outcome).
Here are some ideas about changing the first thought that pops into our head, ask yourself:
1. What is REALLY going on here?
2. Do I NEED to do something about it NOW?
3. How important is it in the big picture?
4. Reason it out
5. Make sense out of nonsense
The ultimate purpose of challenging our thoughts is that be looking at an event in a different light will lead us to a different felling or emotion and taking a different action.
Just a suggestion: try ending up in an emotional place that causes the least amount of pain.
