It’s true what the old song says: you gotta accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative (and don’t mess with Mr. In-between)!
Help your kids replace those heavy negative feelings that can weigh them down after a long day, with uplifting statements that will reaffirm what’s positive and true about them.
To make sure it sticks, have them give an example of something that happened to them that day to cause that emotion.
Ex: I’m going to take off the feeling of failure that I felt after my pop-quiz today and put on the feeling of success that I felt after I turned in my book report.
Failure | Success |
Loneliness | Friendship – talk about the friends you have |
I can’t do it! | Confidence |
Not fitting in | Being with people who love you. |
Ugliness | Beauty |
Jealousy | Contentment—being happy with what we have. |
Fear | Feeling safe |
Anxiety | Trust |
Selfishness | Thankfulness |
Hate | Love |
Judgment | Understanding |