This document provides guidance on using alternative thinking to manage stress. It recommends asking yourself questions to challenge automatic negative thoughts, such as what evidence supports or counters your thoughts and considering alternative views of the situation. Alternative thinking can help reduce stress and improve self-esteem by replacing unhelpful thoughts with more balanced perspectives. The document also advertises stress diary journals and reflection journals to help users record daily stressors, monitor progress, and develop stress management skills over 4 weeks.

1. Stress Diary Journal Guides Guide 11: Alternative Thinking
Guide 11:
Alternative Thinking
Stress Diary Journal Ask Yourself…
Your Guide 1. What is the evidence?
 What evidence do I have
to support my
What is Alternative Thinking? thoughts?
Reflecting on how your thought and challenge Automatic  Does this way of thinking  What evidence do I have
patterns influence your Thoughts [The inner voice] and help me or does it hold me against them?
reaction to stress, this guide use the following guidelines to back? If so, How?
focus on how you can use reach more rational thoughts:
Alternative Thinking as a means Other Strategies include: 2. What alternative views
to further improve your stress Ask Yourself... are there?
If you find yourself thinking that
management skills. To change 1. What is the evidence? you are no good at anything and
your initial thoughts or reflect  How would someone
a failure, rather than continuing
on them is not easy when you  What evidence do I have to else view this situation?
in this thought – you may try to
are in the moment of a support my thoughts? change it to something more  How would I have
stressful situation, but these balanced and realistic. viewed this situation if I
questions and thought patterns  What evidence do I have
against them? were not so anxious
does help in preparing you to be A different thought would be to
about _____?
alert to, and adjust your 2. What alternative views are say ‘that you are good at many
thoughts, when you are in a there? things, and it’s OK not to be
similar situation. perfect at everything’.
 How would someone else 3. What is the effect of
So What can you do? By changing your thoughts in thinking the way I do?
view this situation?
this way, you can take some
What action can I take? What  How would I have viewed pressure off yourself, and this  Does this way of
can I do to change my this situation if I were not may paradoxically make it thinking help me or
situation? Am I overlooking so anxious about _____? easier for you to do things that does it hold me back? If
solutions to problems because I were previously causing you so, How?
think they won’t work? 3. What is the effect of
stress and anxiety.
thinking the way I do?
You need to learn to identify
C hallenge your thoughts
Challenging your negative also change the way you see ‘Having an
thoughts in this way over a other people as well. alternative
period of time can make a huge
difference to your levels of You may want to read further on thought is just
challenging your thoughts and
stress and self-esteem.
creating more healthy alternative
that,
Rather than seeing yourself as thoughts from the other guides an optional
a helpless individual with no we have available here: You can
control over our thoughts, read:
thought that
emotions or behaviours, you can be
might find a more balanced Guide 7. Automatic Thoughts.
approach will allow you to enjoy Guide 10. Socratic Questioning & Replaced’
and value your life more, and Guide 13. Alternative Questioning.
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2. The Stress Diaries we have available
The Stress Diary Journal
This 4 week programme to complete stress mastery, is an invaluable tool to effectively manage your stress -
to gain insight and explore self understanding. The Stress Diary Journal allows you to record your daily stress
incidents & to monitor these incidents and analyse them – on a daily basis, for a period of 4 weeks. Divided into
4 weekly sections for you to master your stress progressively and more competently, it helps you review your
initial appraisals, stress responses, your reactions & to identify your stress triggers, to then restructure your
thoughts, your attitude and subsequent behaviours. You will be able to easier identify negative behaviour
patterns, to increase your stress awareness, to learn new coping skills and to let you adapt new & alternative
strategies. You will learn renewed self management skills, inner control, effective goal setting, time
management skills, to overcome obstacles and increased perseverance to complete set tasks and to instil
newfound routines, competencies and behaviours. It helps you to know yourself and manage your life more
completely. This is an invaluable tool to gain unique insight, explore self-understanding, learn stress
management skills and effectively manage your stress – in 4 weeks!
With a purchase of any of these Diaries, you get full Stress Management Support
@ www.stressdiaries.com
Stress Diary: Daily Recorder Journal
A companion guide to the Stress Diary Journal in a handy size to carry about , and for you to easily record
your daily stress entries. Each Stress entry is individually presented for ease of recording ‘on the go’ and to
then transfer these entries to your Stress Diary Journal, or this Stress Diary: Reflection Journal, at the
end of your day. Making remembering these Stress incidents/events much easier and keeping you in touch
with managing your stress more effectively.
Get a FREE Relaxation Music MP3 !
With your purchase of any of these
Stress Diary: Reflection Journal
This Stress Reflection Diary Journal is a companion guide to the Stress Diary/Journal and used as an
additional tool to further enhance your insight and understanding of your stress. You are to choose
1 significant Stress Entry per day, from your Stress Diary Journal for the length of your 4 week programme,
that you may want to elaborate and focus on. Using the guideline questions and answer spaces that are
provided, and you can add your personal notes or thoughts about your day or progress. Weekly summaries of
your progress are included, to advance and monitor your progress and by answering these questions and
adding your own observations, you will increase your skills at understand, managing your reactions and
responses to your daily stress triggers and stressors. The Reflection Journal is an easy way to record and
focus on how to reflect on your experiences and how you can learn from it.
Get these Stress Diary Journals at www.stressdiaries.com
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