Ch. 2, Ep. 2: Reflect and reframe

We’ve all had those days. Difficult feedback from a client. A business opportunity that didn’t work out. A mistake we made that had negative consequences. These things happen, but we tend to be extra hard on ourselves when they do.   

Welcome back to From Dollar One: presented by Interac. In this episode, we share tips from expert Financial Therapist, Aseel El-Baba, about turning limiting, negative thoughts into positive opportunities for growth.   

Negative thoughts are very real and when we let them run wild with negative self-talk, so do our brains’ neural pathways.   

In fact, in 2020, Queen’s University researchers Dr. Jordan Poppenk and master’s student Julie Tseng found that the average person has about 6,200 thoughts per day.  

And while most of those thoughts aren’t necessarily negative or positive, when exposed to negative stimuli (like a perceived failure) the brain reacts with a surge in neural activity.   

In her article, How to Transcend Self-Doubt and Negative Self-Talk, clinical psychologist Leigh W. Jerome, states that “we naturally attach greater emphasis to adverse events such as insults, failures, unpleasant stimuli, and pessimistic scenarios.”  

While some negative feelings can actually help us take a step back and reflect on our behaviours and decisions, negative self-talk can become chronic, and undermine a positive sense of self. 

A technique to help to shift your mindset in a kinder direction is to keep a reflection journal.  

Write down your negative thoughts and list the facts that support them and the facts that don’t.  

For example, say you just got some bad news that a business proposal you’ve been working on for weeks was rejected. Let’s work through how you can reflect on your present feelings and reframe them in a kinder, more productive way. 

Start off by asking yourself: What am I right now?  
You might say: I am feeling like a failure   

 What evidence supports this thought?  

The fact that my business proposal was rejected  

 What’s the outcome that I desire to achieve instead? 

To acquire experience and wisdom from my most difficult challenges 

 What must I believe is true to get to this outcome instead?  

I am capable of learning from failures  

I am determined to reach my goals 

I believe in my business idea  

I believe in myself   

What is an alternate thought that takes into account evidence for and against the original thought

I am not a failure. I failed at one particular thing. I have a loyal base of customers that love my products. I believe in my business idea and am determined to reach my goals. Every challenge is a chance to acquire new experience and wisdom and make me and my business better. 

[OUTRO]  

Want to give it a try? We have a reflection journal template you can download at the link in the description.  

Thanks for listening! To learn more and sign up for our newsletter, be sure to visit Interac.ca/dollar one 

 The content for Episode 2 and other materials contained on the Interac website are for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a health professional with any questions you may have.