3 exercises to learn to deal with the disorder

“What if it doesn’t work?”, “what if I fail?”, “it’s all my fault”, “what will happen?”… dysfunctional thoughts like these harm mental health in adolescence, a period full of changes and uncertainty . Damages to self-esteem, identity crises and fears are responsible for leading young people to anxiety and depression.

Also called “automatic thoughts”, they tend to appear effortlessly throughout your routine. Therefore, the psychologist specializing in child diagnosis, Juliana Russano, reinforces the importance of constantly combating them. “Whenever something makes you feel down or angry, the best exercise is to evaluate your own interpretation of the situation and think about other ways of acting or feeling about it”, she adds.

Author of the books Like this? It is Do not even think about it! – Comics designed to develop emotional intelligence in young people –, the psychotherapist states that taking care of mental well-being from an early age can guarantee a less troubled adolescence and an adult life with more self-confidence.

Discover three exercises recommended by the specialist to help young people overcome daydreams and reduce mental disorders such as anxiety.

1. Identify distorted thoughts: Make a list of which thoughts cause you the most unpleasant feelings, such as “I’m not a good son”, “I’m going to fail”, “what if something bad happens?”. Give each of them a rating and reorganize them into a sort of ranking, starting with the most destructive. Reserve a large space in your notebook for each topic and write down in which situation you felt or feel that way. Don’t be afraid to report what action you took at that moment.
2. Imagine other ways to face difficult situations: Seek more positive ways of facing the situation that afflicts you. For example, instead of thinking that you will get a zero on a test, state that, even though the content is difficult, you will dedicate yourself more to your studies to make a good assessment. Thoughts like this will help with self-confidence and reduce anxiety.
3. Train more positive thoughts: Get in the habit of taking time out of your day (or week) to evaluate what’s going on in your mind. Write down which thoughts you think are harmful and, based on them, which ones could be more beneficial and positive.

The books Like this? It is Do not even think about it! by psychologist Juliana Russano can be found on Amazon, in printed and e-book versions. Just access the author’s page on the platform.

(Maria Clara Menezes – LC Communications Agency)