When I see clients in-person for therapy, and they are not feeling well, the first thing they blurt out is "I have a sore throat" or "I've been sick for a week."

It's not, "I've had a good day" or "Those flowers in the vase are beautiful." They are focused on their physical ailment. Our askew physical state often dominates our awareness.

Likewise, if someone lives with "depression" (or any strong feeling), and I ask them how it's going, they talk about feeling depressed. If I persist and ask them to talk about good things that happened since I last saw them, they discover that indeed many positive events have transpired. However, they are so consumed with how they feel, and the accompanying negative self-talk and negative outlook that they've lost sight of the reality of the present moment and what's going well in their lives

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Read by Marie T Russell. Publisher InnerSelf

Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay

Jude Bijou is a licensed marriage and family therapist (MFT), an educator in Santa Barbara, California and the author of Attitude Reconstruction: A Blueprint for Building a Better Life. In 1982, Jude launched a private psychotherapy practice and started working with individuals, couples, and groups. She also began teaching communication courses through Santa Barbara City College Adult Education. Visit her website at AttitudeReconstruction.com/

Attitude Reconstruction: A Blueprint for Building a Better Life

With practical tools, real-life examples, and everyday solutions for thirty-three destructive attitudes, Attitude Reconstruction can help you stop settling for sadness, anger, and fear, and infuse your life with love, peace, and joy