Outreach in Action
Don’t let ‘thinking traps’ sabotage your mental health
by Jo Mayer and Paul Crandall
July’s Social Hour at Outreach started with a discussion of “Thinking Traps,” and how we sometimes sabotage our mental health by falling into them. Thinking traps? They’re common—they refer to negative actions like focusing more on our perceived failures rather than acknowledging the good; blowing things out of proportion; assuming the worst; and other damaging self-talk.
The July session presented an opportunity to tune up thought patterns and outlook but also had us dusting off a copy of Norman Vincent Peale’s “The Power of Positive Thinking”—a book first published in 1952 and still popular today. We gleaned some pearls, shared below, that still resonate at Stockbridge Community Outreach so many years later.
“Thoughts are the food of our souls. Just as we feed our bodies nutritious and healthy foods, we must feed our souls and mind positive and healthy thoughts.”
Feeling overwhelmed? Many of our clients feel overwhelmed by their circumstances, so it helps to keep in mind Peale’s advice:
“Things are not as difficult as you make them out to be, and you are not as incompetent as you think.”
Made some bad choices? Some clients find their way through our doors after making bad choices or bad decisions. Peale has this to say about dealing with past errors:
“You must also deal with your guilt and shame. They could be the source out of which all your negative and turbulent thoughts are born. You could be trying to punish yourself. Forgive yourself and stop hurting yourself further.”
Focusing too much on the negative? Old habits and attitudes may be difficult to change, but not impossible. Peale’s book is all about improving your life through concentrated effort and focusing on the positive:
“You can make a habit of being happy by always choosing positive thoughts to let into your mind. Whenever you experience yourself thinking of a negative thought, put a stop to it, release it and replace it with a positive and loving one…Start the day with positive affirmations. Tell yourself that the day will be good…
What people usually consider a realistic outlook is usually a negative outlook which has become the norm with time. Reality is not negative. It might not be positive, but it is not grim either…Make friends with hopeful people rather than people who are always complaining, and seek to complain less yourself…by choosing to think positively, you’ll be happier.”
At Stockbridge Community Outreach, we strive to provide help and hope for a better life for our clients. Being positive and encouraging is vital to our efforts.
IMPORTANT NOTE: There is no September Outreach Social Hour, as the first Monday falls on Labor Day. Our next free and open Social Hour will be Monday, October 7, at 3 p.m. in the Outreach meeting room at the Stockbridge Activity Center. Come in the back door (Door #20) off of Elm and Cherry Streets. Light refreshments will be served. October’s topic will be grief.
A recent Social Hour, hosted by Outreach, focused on not falling into “thinking traps,” and instead, tuning up thought patterns and your outlook. Image credit: Shaylyn on unsplash.com
This column is sponsored by Stockbridge Community Outreach, our local food pantry, crisis, and referral center located in the Stockbridge Activity Center (old middle school) near Cherry and Elm streets in Stockbridge. Office hours are 1-3 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and by appointment. [email protected], 517-851-7285, or find us on Facebook.
