Practice this stress Practice this stress management skillmanagement skill

Positive Thinking: Positive Thinking:

Positive thinking helps with stress Positive thinking helps with stress management and can even improve management and can even improve your health. Overcome negative self-your health. Overcome negative self-talk by recognizing it and practicing talk by recognizing it and practicing with some examples provided with some examples provided

Positive thinking enhances focus on Positive thinking enhances focus on your job and can help to reduce the your job and can help to reduce the chance of accidentschance of accidents

Understanding positive thinking and self-Understanding positive thinking and self-talk talk

Self-talk is the endless stream of thoughts that Self-talk is the endless stream of thoughts that run through your head every day. These run through your head every day. These automatic thoughts can be automatic thoughts can be positivepositive or or negativenegative. . Some of your self-talk comes from logic and Some of your self-talk comes from logic and reason. Other self-talk may arise from reason. Other self-talk may arise from misconceptions that you create because of lack of misconceptions that you create because of lack of information.information.

If the thoughts that run through your head are If the thoughts that run through your head are mostly negative, your outlook on life is likely mostly negative, your outlook on life is likely pessimistic. If your thoughts are mostly positive, pessimistic. If your thoughts are mostly positive, you're likely an optimist — someone who you're likely an optimist — someone who practices positive thinking.practices positive thinking.

How positive thinking gives way to How positive thinking gives way to negative thinking negative thinking

But what if your self-talk is mainly But what if your self-talk is mainly negative? That doesn't mean you're negative? That doesn't mean you're doomed to an unhappy life. Negative doomed to an unhappy life. Negative self-talk just means that your own self-talk just means that your own misperceptions, lack of information misperceptions, lack of information and distorted ideas have and distorted ideas have overpowered your capacity for logic overpowered your capacity for logic and reason.and reason.

Some common forms of negative and Some common forms of negative and irrational self-talk include irrational self-talk include

Filtering.Filtering. You magnify the negative aspects of You magnify the negative aspects of a situation and filter out all of the positive ones a situation and filter out all of the positive ones

Personalizing.Personalizing. When something bad occurs, When something bad occurs, you automatically blame yourself. you automatically blame yourself.

Catastrophizing.Catastrophizing. You automatically You automatically anticipate the worst. anticipate the worst.

Polarizing.Polarizing. You see things only as either good You see things only as either good or bad, black or white. or bad, black or white.

You can learn positive thinking You can learn positive thinking

Instead of giving in to these kinds of Instead of giving in to these kinds of negative self-talk, weed out negative self-talk, weed out misconceptions and irrational misconceptions and irrational thinking and then challenge them thinking and then challenge them with rational, positive thoughts. with rational, positive thoughts. When you do this, your self-talk will When you do this, your self-talk will gradually become realistic and self-gradually become realistic and self-affirming — you engage in positive affirming — you engage in positive thinking.thinking.

Periodically during the day, stop and Periodically during the day, stop and evaluate what you're thinking. If you evaluate what you're thinking. If you find that your thoughts are mainly find that your thoughts are mainly negative, try to find a way to put a negative, try to find a way to put a positive spin on them.positive spin on them.

Don't say anything to yourself that Don't say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to anyone else. you wouldn't say to anyone else.

Negative self-talk Negative self-talk Positive spin Positive spin I've never done it before I've never done it before It's an opportunity to It's an opportunity to

learn something newlearn something new

It's too complicated It's too complicated I'll tackle it from a I'll tackle it from a different angle different angle

I don't have the I don't have the resources resources

Necessity is the mother Necessity is the mother of invention. of invention.

There's not enough time There's not enough time Let's re-evaluate some Let's re-evaluate some priorities priorities

There's no way it will There's no way it will work work

I can try to make it work. I can try to make it work.

No one bothers to No one bothers to communicate with me communicate with me

I'll see if I can open the I'll see if I can open the channels of channels of communication. communication.

REMEMBER!REMEMBER!

You owe it to yourself to You owe it to yourself to react react

positively!positively!

You owe it to yourself to You owe it to yourself to work safely!work safely! You owe it to yourself and your loved You owe it to yourself and your loved

ones to ones to avoid injuries!avoid injuries!