Managing Stress – Thinking Differently

Here’s what he meant…

Imagine you come home from work one day and your partner has cleaned the house, cooked a lovely meal and tells you to sit down and relax.

Now imagine exactly the same situation… you come home from work one day and your partner has cleaned the house, cooked a lovely meal and tells you to sit down and relax.

The chances are that in the first example you are feeling happy and relaxed, but in the second example, you are feeling anxious and suspicious. This shows how exactly the same event can lead to very different feelings, depending on the view you take of it. This is also true with situations you are likely to face supporting someone with psychosis or bipolar disorder.

Here’s an example:

But which do you think is right?

Actually, there is no right or wrong – it’s just a different perspective. The important thing is that the way you think can have a big impact on the way you feel.

There are some common thinking traps that we can all fall into, which make us see the negative side of things and feel stressed. Learning to spot these traps can help you get a more balanced perspective and feel better.