[Music]

"People often tell me I'm stuck in my own
head and that I think about things too
much. They tell me to stop being so negative
all the time. I can't help it, my mind just
naturally thinks of the worst possible
outcome in every situation. Sometimes
I feel like I'm my own worst enemy.
I tell myself constantly that I should
be smarter or I should say yes to every
opportunity that comes my way. I'm
anxious about what might happen if I let
things slip. But even the littlest things
seem to knock my confidence. I feel down
on myself constantly and like everything
is my fault. I don't know how to stop
thinking this way, it's really hard."

Did you know that how we think can have
a huge impact on how we feel?
Every day there are probably hundreds
of thoughts running through your head
but have you ever stopped to pay attention
to those thoughts? If you've been feeling
down or anxious, it may be helpful to know
what's going through your head. What are you
telling yourself? It's common for people
with low mood or anxiety to think in
unhelpful or unrealistic ways.

Let's have a look at some examples of
unhelpful ways of thinking. Do you do any
of these? One is called mental filtering.
It's sort of like having tunnel vision
where you focus only on one part of a
situation and ignore the rest.
Usually this means looking at the
negative parts of a situation and
forgetting the positive parts.
Another common one is personalisation.
This involves blaming yourself
completely if something goes wrong, even
if you're only partly responsible or not
even responsible at all. Another is
labeling. Do you ever think of yourself
as weak or stupid if you make a small
mistake? Or do you catastrophise and feel
as though small problems are much larger
and more horrible than they actually are?
Some people think in extremes. Things are
either perfect or terrible and nothing
in between. Others may over-generalise,
and this is where we take one example
in the past or present and apply it to
everything. Like if you fail one exam
and think "I'm never going to be able
to pass an exam again".

Now that we've identified some of the
common unhelpful thinking patterns, it's
your turn to try it out. Have a look
at the thought diary attached to this
module. Completing a thought diary can
be a useful way to help you notice any
unhelpful thoughts you might be having.
It can also help you learn ways to
challenge and modify these thoughts to
make them more realistic and helpful.
The first step is to write down any
situation, thought or memory that's made
you feel particularly down or anxious.
Then write down words to describe how
that situation or memory made you feel.
Next is to write down any thoughts or
beliefs you may have been having.
What was going through your mind at the
time? Do you recognise any unhelpful
thinking styles from those that we
identified before? Note them down.
Next is to fact check your thoughts.
What evidence do you have for and
against these thoughts? Finally,
can you modify any of your thoughts
to make them reflect a more
balanced or helpful view of the
situation? Take note of any changes
in how you feel when you modify your
thoughts. Try and practice this
strategy whenever you can. It might
be hard at first, but with repeated
practice, you may find that your brain
starts noticing and challenging unhelpful
thoughts automatically. Another thing
to note is that even though you may
be able to change your thinking,
you might still feel down or anxious.
That's okay. Our emotions can take a
while to shift and changing your
thinking may not be enough in certain
situations. You can make an appointment
with your university health or counselling
centre to get some help with this and
you can even take a completed thought
diary along with you. Changing your
thinking takes effort, especially if
you've been used to thinking in a
certain way for a long time.
Think of it like working out, but for
your mind. Take it one day at a time
and the more you practice, the easier
it will get.

Thanks for watching.

[Music]