Page 15 - Whispering Squirrels

Everyone has situa ons (ac va ng events) to deal with each and every day. Some situa ons can be dealt with easily and some are more di cult. The more di cult ones are the Whispering Squirrels.
Because most of us are not taught good ways of thinking about these di cult situa ons, our thinking is frequently “S nky,” our emo ons are “Not OK” and our behavior is “Thumbs Down.” When this happens, the results of our inappropriate emo ons and behaviors may cause more problems than the original Whispering Squirrels situa on. Let’s take a typical situa on and look at two di erent ways of handling it.
Your brother wants to watch one thing on TV and you want something else.
S nking Thinking
He always gets to watch everything he wants. It is not fair that I miss my favorite show. I must see my show or I just can’t stand it.
Your emo ons will be:
Anger Frustra on Hatred
Your behavior will be:
Pou ng Arguing Figh ng
As a result of your “S nky” Thinking... Feeling...Behaving, your parents punish you by restric ng you from watching any TV for the rest of the week.
Good Thinking
It is just a TV show, no big deal. Maybe we can share TV me.
I may like his show as well as mine.
Your emo ons will be:
Slightly annoyed Indi erence Calmness
Your behaviors will be:
You will watch the show with
your brother.
You will nd something else to do.
You will make a deal to watch this show, if you can watch yours next week.
As a result of your “Good” Thinking... Feeling...Behaving, you remain in control, no one gets upset and you may have go en to watch your TV show.
You tell yourself:
You tell yourself:
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