Rapid Reframe Tool

Reframing: the recasting of ideas, thoughts, events, or situations in a different light; a potent tool for turning unhelpful or negative thoughts into neutral or positive ones

Synonyms: changing perception, converting negatives into positives

Use this tool to re-frame your unhelpful thoughts and feelings into neutral or positive ones

The way we perceive a problem, event or circumstance determines how we feel about it (glad, bad, mad, or sad). How it feels to us often reinforces old thought patterns and life-scripts which, in turn, reinforce the intensity of our feelings. This constant feedback loop between thoughts and feelings that are negatively charged can wreak havoc with our self-image, and invariably leads to anxiety, depression, and a sense of hopelessness.

The purpose of this Re-framing Tool is to help you:

• see things from a different perspective
• overwrite old thought patterns
• improve your self-image,
• become more optimistic, and
• generally feel better

The goal here is not so much to bring new light through old windows, as it is to change the very windows (or frames) through which you view the world.

If you use this tool frequently, you will begin to see:

• problems as opportunities
• weaknesses as strengths
• impossibilities as distant possibilities
• distant possibilities as near possibilities
• oppressive acts by others ('against me') as neutral ('doesn't care about me'), and
• unkindness from others as lack of understanding

As you use this tool, try to bear in mind it’s not the problem, event or circumstance, but our perception of the problem, event or circumstance that determines how we feel. Change your unhelpful perceptions, and you change your feelings; change your feelings, and you enhance your overall state of wellbeing!

Instructions: In the first text field below, state the situation or problem, and then follow the arrows to describe the thoughts, feelings and behaviors the situation or problem has triggered.

When complete, use the “Reframe It” fields to re-state your thoughts, feelings and behaviors from a different perspective. If you wish to add additional reframes, click the “Add Another Reframe” link. Adding more reframes allows you to see the situation or problem from multiple perspectives.

Example:

Now give it a try! Enter a situation or problem you are currently dealing with or are anticipating:

Now take some time to reflect on the situation. Try to look at it from different perspectives. See if you can reframe this in your mind from a negative to a neutral, or even a positive thought or situation.

When you are ready, use the fields below to reframe the situation or problem. You can add as many additional reframes as you like using the “Add another reframe” option below, moving from negative to neutral to positive, if possible.