How to Coach Yourself and Others Essential Knowledge For Coaching | Page 403
Reality: Have you ever made a vow to exercise and stuck to it? If you
did it before, you can do it again. Even if you were not able to do it in
the past that does not mean you can not stick to a plan in the future.
All-or-nothing thinking:
This also is called black-or-white thinking.
Example: “If I can not stay on my eating plan all the time, I will just
give up.”
Reality: Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. One slipup does not
mean you can not get back to your plan the next day.
Have your clients correct their thoughts. After they check the truth of the
thought, the next step is to correct it and replace the unhelpful thought
with a more positive, helpful one.
Keeping a journal of thoughts is one of the best ways to practice
watching, checking, and correcting thoughts. It helps your clients become
more aware of their self-talk. An example of a thought diary follows. By
writing thoughts down every day, helpful thoughts will soon come
naturally.
Thought diary
Watch for a
Negative
Thought
Check for a
Type of Thought
Correct With a
Positive Thought
“I should have
never had that
piece of cake for
dessert.”
Should
“At least I did not eat a
corner piece of cake,
which has even more
calories. Having
dessert every now
and then is OK, if it is
part of my eating
plan.”
“I ruined my
eating plan by
having so much
Focusing on
negative
“I wish I had not eaten
so much pasta. But it
is only one meal. I
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