Internal Support

Activity: Internal Cheer Squad

Let’s start with some reflections (try to avoid skipping or rushing through – that’s an indication of discomfort or fear, and we need to sort that out now):

When I’m feeling challenged, stressed or worried...

-> What do I do, think or feel to help me get through?

-> What do I do, think or feel that makes it worse?

-> What do I automatically (without consciously deciding) do, think or feel as a reaction to a negative event or situation?

?? What assumptions come up that I don’t question ??

Each of these inner thoughts, feelings and reactions are designed to help us deal with the situation. They are our existing support systems, even if they are not currently doing a very good job of helping us.

Becoming more aware of these helps us to identify which are useful, and which are actually making things worse.

Review your list above and highlight the ones you’d like to change. Perhaps they are not very effective at helping you, or perhaps they actually make things worse. Once you’ve done that, you can start coming up with ideas on what might work better instead.

You can answer these in your own workbook, or share in the comments space below:

Activity continued

-> What can I do to notice any negative responses as they start?

-> What do I want to replace them with?

-> How will I know if this is working better for me? What will I do to check?

You can go through this process as many times as you like, reflecting on different situations and scenarios as you go.

Keep in mind, this is a process involving change, so it will take time, and it is best if you focus on one or two elements at a time – and just keep practicing.