10 Common ‘Unhelpful’ beliefs that if held onto too tightly can cause emotional distress:

1. I must be liked or accepted by every person in my life, for almost everything I do.

2. I must be successful, competent & achieving in everything I do if I am to consider myself worthwhile.

3. It is awful & terrible when things are not the way I would like them to be. Things should be different.

4. I must feel anxious, upset & preoccupied if something is, or may be, dangerous.

5. Human unhappiness is caused by events beyond our control so people have little or no ability to control their negative feelings.

6. It is easier to avoid facing many of life’s difficulties and responsibilities than to face them.

7. The past is all-important, so if something once strongly affected one’s life, it cannot be altered.

8. When people act badly, inadequately or unfairly, I blame them, and view them as completely bad or pathetic-including myself.

9. Maximum happiness can be achieved by inertia & inaction, or by passively enjoying oneself.

10. Everyone should be dependent on others & I need someone stronger than myself on whom I can rely.

-Albert Ellis, Ellis & Harper, 1975

*Coaching can help loosen these beliefs and relieve your emotional distress. Learn techniques to change your relationships with your thoughts…contact Mindful Inspiration to find out how…