The Thought Cycle
You fail a quiz and immediately think, “I’m so stupid.”
What is All-or-Nothing Thinking
You feel overwhelmed after lunch. To calm down, you name five things you can see, four things you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste.
What is the Five Senses Exercise?
You know arguing with your sibling always stresses you out, so you walk away before it starts.
What is avoiding a stressful situation?
You’re calm and relaxed, listening to music before school. You feel balanced and ready for the day.
What is being in an even, comfortable emotional state? (Level 1,2)
You get a bad grade on your first math test, but you tell yourself, “I can study and do better next time."
What is having a growth mindset?
Your teacher talks quietly with another staff member, and you instantly think, “They’re talking about me getting in trouble.”
What is Jumping to Conclusions
Before your presentation, you focus only on your breathing, noticing each inhale and exhale instead of your racing thoughts.
What is mindful breathing?
Your group project keeps falling apart, so you set up a schedule and divide the work evenly.
What is altering?
Someone cuts in line, and you feel your face get hot and your body tense up.
What is noticing your emotions heating up? (Level 7,8)
You mess up during a basketball game but keep practicing instead of quitting.
What is learning from mistakes and not giving up?
You get 18 out of 20 right on your test but can only think about the two you missed.
What is Ignoring the Good
You stretch your arms, roll your shoulders, or take a short walk between classes, focusing on how your muscles move and your body feels as you breathe.
What is mindful movement?
You can’t change having a lot of homework, so you tell yourself, “I’ll do one task at a time.”
What is adapting
You’re boiling mad, your hands are shaking, your heart’s racing, and you feel like yelling or throwing something.
What is being at a 10 on your emotional thermometer, completely overheated and filled with anger.
You used to say, “I’m just bad at writing,” but now you say, “I’m still learning to improve.”
What is changing negative self-talk into positive self-talk?
You tell yourself, “I should always be better at sports,” or “I should never get upset.” When you don’t meet those expectations, you feel angry or disappointed in yourself.
What is a “should statement"
You sit quietly for a few minutes, noticing your thoughts come and go like clouds, without judging or following them.
What is mindful meditation?
Your favorite event gets canceled, and you can’t do anything about it, so you let yourself feel disappointed and then move on.
What is accepting?
You get into an argument with a friend and want to yell, but you realize your “thermostat” is on high. You take a short walk before responding.
What is taking a break to calm down? (Level 4,5)
A classmate does better on a project, and instead of feeling jealous, you ask them for tips.
What is being open to learning from others?
“I should've been able to answer all the questions. Now everyone probably thinks I’m dumb.”
You replay it all day instead of noticing how well you handled the Q&A.
What are Should Statements and Ignoring the Good?
You notice your mind saying, “I’m going to fail this test,” and instead of believing it, you pause and think, “That’s just a thought, not a fact.” You let it pass and refocus on your work.
What is thought observation, noticing your thoughts without judgment or reaction?
You’re overwhelmed with school and sports. You cut one activity (avoid), talk to your coach (alter), plan your week (adapt), and stay calm about what you can’t change (accept).
What is using all 4 A’s to manage stress in a healthy way?
You’ve had a stressful day, but you know you’ll be around family later. You take time to breathe, stretch, and reset so you don’t take your stress out on them.
What is resetting your emotions before reacting? (Level 3,4)
After missing your goal, your teacher helps you look at what worked and what didn’t so you can make a new plan and try again.
What is using feedback to grow and try again?