Homework: Challenging Beliefs Worksheets
These were the ABC's from last week that I needed to complete.
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Esteem Issues Module
Beliefs Related to SELF: Self-esteem is the belief in your own worth, which is a basic human need. Being understood, respected, and taken seriously is basic to the development of self-esteem.
Prior Experience
Negative:If you had prior experiences that represented a violation of your own sense of self, you are likely to develop negative beliefs about your self-worth. The traumatic event may seem to confirm these beliefs. Prior life experiences that are associated with negative beliefs about the self are likely to be caused by:
- Believing other people’s negative attitude about you
- An absence of empathy and responsiveness by others
- The experience of being devalued, criticized, or blamed by others I have this symptom. I am constantly feeling devalued by my husband. Criticizism Challenging Beliefs Worksheet also below.
- The belief that you had violated your own ideals or values
Positive:
If you had prior experiences that served to enhance your beliefs about your self-worth, then the traumatic event may disrupt those beliefs (your self-esteem).
Examples of Negative Self-Esteem (Self-Worth) Beliefs
I am bad, destructive, or evil
I am responsible for bad, destructive, or evil acts
I am basically damaged or flawed
This is a symptom I have, so I also did a Challenging Belief Worksheet on that symptom.
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Symptoms Associated With Negative Self-Esteem (Self-Worth) Beliefs
Depression This is a symptom that I have that I hope will get better through therapy.
Guilt This is a symptom that I have that I did a Challenging Beliefs Worksheet on below over apologizing.
Shame This is a symptom that I have that I did a Challenging Beliefs Worksheet on below over apologizing.
Possible self-destructive behavior This is a symptom that I have that I have been working on: picking at myself.
Beliefs Related to OTHERS: These are beliefs about how much you value other people. In addition, a realistic view of others is important to psychological health. In less psychologically healthy people, these beliefs are stereotyped, rigid, and relatively unchanged by new information.
Prior Experience
Negative:If you had many bad experiences with people in the past or had difficulty taking in new information about people you knew (particularly negative information), you may have found yourself surprised, hurt, and betrayed. You may have concluded that other people are not good or not to be respected. You may have generalized this belief to everyone (even those who are basically good and to be respected). The traumatic event may seem to confirm these beliefs about people.
Positive:
If your prior experiences with people had been positive, and if negative events in the world did not seem to apply to your life, the event was probably a belief-shattering event. Prior beliefs in the basic goodness of other people may be particularly disrupted if people, who were assumed to be supportive, were not there for you after the event.
Examples of Negative Others-Esteem Beliefs
The belief that people are basically uncaring, indifferent, and only out for themselves This is a symptom that I have that I did a Challenging Beliefs Worksheet on over empathy.
The belief that people are bad, evil, or malicious
The belief that the entire human race is bad, evil, or malicious
Symptoms Associated With Negative Others-Esteem Beliefs
Chronic anger
Chronic anger is a symptom I have, so I also did a Challenging Belief Worksheet on that symptom.
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Bitterness
Bitterness is a symptom I have, so I also did a Challenging Belief Worksheet on that symptom.
Disbelief when treated with genuine caring compassion (“What do they really want?”) This is a symptom that I have that I did a Challenging Beliefs Worksheet on over empathy.
Isolation or withdrawal from others This is a symptom that I have that I did a Challenging Beliefs Worksheet on previously about being antisocial. My therapist and I determined that this could also just be my personality.
Antisocial behavior justified by the belief that people are only out for themselves
Antisocial behavior is a symptom I have, so I also did two Challenging Belief Worksheets on that symptom.
My homework also included complimenting someone every day.
I did this even though it was hard to do "in-person" due to me being at home with my boys during the summer and not working. I called, texted, and Facebooked daily. However, my goal for the week was to compliment my husband on one of those days. I found this to be the most difficult. I couldn't bring myself to do it. Then I had to do something for myself each day.
Friday: Bought myself new pajama dress from Kohls with my gift certificate.
Saturday: Quilted while I watched Dexter on Netflix. My husband was at work all day and night, so I had to wait until the boys were tired and had them watch a movie on my bed.
Sunday: I bought hair bleach at Sally's and bleached a streak in my hair. Twice a year I do this before I add a color to the bleached streak (because my hair is such a dark brown, it's the only way a color will show).
Monday: Quilted again while I watched Dexter since my husband was at work.
