Stress Center Peer Support

I really want to be as active as I can be in writing down my negative thoughts and challenging them with positive ones, as I agree with Lucinda that this part is the key to a better self-esteem. However, I work at a job where it's not really possible for me to stop at any given moment and write these thoughts down. Have any of you encountered similar difficulties, and can you suggest some possible ways that I can work around this problem, to make sure that I'm still getting the most out of this program? Thanks.

Originally posted by Luc:
I really want to be as active as I can be in writing down my negative thoughts and challenging them with positive ones, as I agree with Lucinda that this part is the key to a better self-esteem. However, I work at a job where it's not really possible for me to stop at any given moment and write these thoughts down. Have any of you encountered similar difficulties, and can you suggest some possible ways that I can work around this problem, to make sure that I'm still getting the most out of this program? Thanks.

I have the same problem, and if my work mates see me writing in a little book every 5 mins they would wonder what I'm doing, and even worse, what if they got hold of my book? They would think i am totally loco.

It's nice to know you can relate to my difficulties, dj. The first approach I tried using to work around this problem was to simply try my hardest to remember as many of the negative thoughts I'd have at work, and write them down as soon as I returned home. This was better than nothing, but I found I was still forgetting a lot of them, and it wasn't enjoyable to have to be constantly returning to these thoughts throughout the day, so that I wouldn't forget them. An approach that I've begun using today, which seems to be working better, is to just write down a few key words whenever I have a second or two, so that I have something to jog my memory when I'm trying to remember the thought in full later on. This doesn't take too much time, and I think it would take care of your concerns about your co-workers' curiosity too; if they asked you what you're doing, you could just answer, "I'm writing a list of things I need to do later on" (it wouldn't be lying, since you would be using this list again later). It wouldn't matter if they found the list either, since it would probably only make any real sense to you.
Hope this helps you somewhat.

To All,
I would check in on my thoughts consistently throughout the day, since, it is impossible to write down every negative thought...I would wear a rubber band on my wrist, and flick it every time that I caught myself thinking a negative thought...This helps to bring yourself back to the present, and to catch that thought, and replace it with a more positive, calming, and truthful thought...Hope this helps...God Bless..

Thanks for the suggestion, Ms. T Bones - I think I might try something along those lines!

You are welcome Luc...Since, we all have very vivid imaginations, I am sure you will come up with something that works for you..God Bless

Point well taken. Not much time throughout the day to jot down all the negative thoughts. Ms. T Bones, you have a very good suggestion. I'm going to try it. Also, a thought came to me a few days ago. I'm going to bring a tape recorder with me on my way to work and back. Those are the times when I think about EVERYTHING because I'm alone and driving. And since I can't write my thoughts down, I'll record them and later on transfer them down in the notebook. Another suggestion for office people, or those that work on computers all day, is to open up a blank Word document and type back and forth while you're working or checking emails and stuff. That helps too. Just try to be careful and always remember to minimize the window/screen so no one pries.

I came to this same conclusion. Suggestion: pick one folder on your recorder that is used for your negative thoughts only so they don't become hard to find. Then when you get home, you can go through each one and write the positive thought.
Good luck!

You know I had the same problem when I first thought about writing stuff down in a notebook that everyone would see..then I realized...Who cares? If this is what I need to do to get better, then that's what I am going to do. If someone asks me about it, I am going to say "I am writing in my notebook, don't worry what its about". but here is the thing...No one asks me about it. I am a teacher, and I hang out in the teachers room with up to 7 other people, and I write in my notebook when I have a negative thought, and continue to talk to my co-workers, and nobody mentions anything about this book. Its nice to know that my co-workers respect my privacy, or they just think I am taking notes for classes...either way, I bet everyone else here will be able to do it and totally be unnoticed... I mean if you think about it, how odd is it for someone to be writing something down at work???