Page 28 - Mousy Mouse Has a Bad Day

Even though this perfectionistic attitude of comparing ourselves to others and concentrating on the negative seems typical for children, if maintained into adolescence and adulthood, it will give rise to additional problems such as poor grades, depression and drug abuse.
However, this Stinky Thinking can be modified to be more in line with reality. By seeing the positives and how you can control them, you will have a more balanced view of school and life. Both come with difficulties which can be overcome. Both come with disappointments which must be tolerated. But both also come with successes to be enjoyed. By sharing this with your parents you will have A VERY NICE DAY.
Give Me 1
When you complete listing the three good things, ask yourself, “What was one thing that happened today that I would have liked to have done differently?” This could have been to have studied harder for a test or that you might have missed an opportunity to have paid a compliment to a classmate. You don’t want to focus on the negative as much as you want to look at alternative ways o f handling a situation.
Think for a minute about what you are trying to accomplish with this exercise. The first goal is to simply establish the habit of thinking about things that happened that day. Next, think about alternative ways you could have handled a “problem” situation or
a missed opportunity to be nice to someone. You can discuss this situation and your alternatives with others, your teacher or parents.
For example, another child wants to copy your homework, you know it is wrong to do so and you don’t want to let them copy.
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