Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 Mindfulness: Learning Self-Awareness 7
Activity 1 How Aware Are You of Your Thoughts? 11
Activity 2 How Unmindful Thoughts Can Trigger Painful Emotions 12
Activity 3 Mindfulness Breathing 13
Activity 4 Your Bucket of Emotions 18
Activity 5 How Do Your Emotions Feel? 20
Activity 6 Mindfulness to Physical Sensations 22
Activity 7 What Are Your Values? 25
Chapter 2 What You Need to Know About Emotions 29
Activity 8 Put a Name on It 30
Activity 9 What's This Emotion Telling You? 41
Activity 10 Thought, Emotion, or Behavior? 47
Activity 11 Sorting Out Your Thoughts, Emotions, and Behaviors 48
Activity 12 Observing Your Thoughts and Emotions 50
Chapter 3 Taking Control of Gut-of-Control Emotions 53
Activity 13 Reasoning, Emotional, or Wise Self? 57
Activity 14 Your Typical Way of Thinking 58
Activity 15 Lifestyle Changes You Can Make to Decrease Emotions 64
Activity 16 How to Be More Effective 69
Activity 17 Acting Opposite to Urges 76
Chapter 4 Reducing Your Painful Emotions 79
Activity 18 Judgments vs. Nonjudgments 81
Activity 19 Adding Fuel to the Fire 84
Activity 20 Turning a Judgment Into a Nonjudgment 87
Activity 21 Changing Your Self-Judgments 90
Activity 22 Do You Validate or Invalidate Yourself? 92
Activity 23 What Messages Have You Received About Emotions? 94
Activity 24 Validating Yourself 96
Activity 25 What Does Fighting Reality Do for You? 98
Activity 26 How Reality Acceptance Helps 101
Activity 27 Loving-Kindness Meditation 104
Chapter 5 Surviving a Crisis Without Making It Worse 107
Activity 28 How Do You Cope? 108
Activity 29 Distracting Yourself 114
Activity 30 Soothing Yourself 116
Activity 31 Creating a Crisis Plan 119
Chapter 6 Improving Your Mood 123
Activity 32 Things You Enjoy 124
Activity 33 What Can You Do to Build Mastery? 128
Activity 34 Setting Goals for Yourself 130
Activity 35 Focusing on the Positive 134
Activity 36 Being Mindful to Your Emotions 137
Chapter 7 Improving Your Relationships 139
Activity 37 Thinking About Your Current Relationships 141
Activity 38 Increasing the Relationships in Your Life 145
Activity 39 What's Your Communication Style? 151
Activity 40 Reflecting on Your Assertiveness Skills 157
Activity 41 Assertiveness Practice 160
Chapter 8 Putting It All Together 163
Activity 42 Self-Assessment 164
Activity 43 Your Experience of Willfulness and Willingness 169
Answers 171
Additional Reading 173
References 175