Rewire the Belief
The thought is not the problem. The belief underneath it is. I spent years fighting thoughts that kept coming back, because I never looked at the story they were growing from. Most of those stories were never mine. I inherited them. This worksheet is how I find the belief, see what it costs, and rewire it. It takes around 10 minutes. Write the real words. It only works if you do.
Page 1: Rewire the Belief
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Your worksheet is emailed to you so you can keep it. I also receive a copy of your answers.
I am happy for Joel White at Rewired for Men to email me my worksheet and occasional emails about men's wellbeing. I can unsubscribe at any time.
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I agree
Page 2: Step 1. Catch the Thought
Write down the exact words in my head when the pressure is on. I do not soften them. I do not tidy them. It only loses power when I look at it directly.
Examples:
“I always let people down.”
“I should be further on by now.”
“What is wrong with me?”
The exact words my head uses
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When is it loudest?
When I make a mistake
When I compare myself to other men
When money is tight
When work piles up
When I feel I have let my family down
Late at night when it is quiet
Other
Page 3: Step 2. Find the Story Underneath
Every thought grows from a story. I am not my stories. Many of mine were handed to me long before I could question them. Finish the line below, then keep finishing it with what I write next, until I reach the bottom.
If that were true, it would mean I am...
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Whose story is this? Who first told me, showed me or taught me this?
How old was I when I first believed it?
Go at my own pace. Write only what I am ready to write. If anything here stirs up more than I can handle on my own, I stop and speak to someone I trust or my GP. In the UK, Samaritans are on 116 123 at any time.
Page 4: Step 3. Follow It Through
A belief drives what I think, feel and do. I follow it all the way through and see what it is costing me.
What does this belief make me think?
What does it make me feel, and where do I feel it in my body?
What does it make me do, or stop me doing?
Where is it costing me most?
Money
Work
My relationships
My health
My self respect
Page 5: Step 4. Rewire It
I accept it was learned. I appreciate what it was trying to do for me. I become aware that I have a choice now. Then I write the belief I choose to live from, and I prove it with 1 action.
Acceptance. How did I come to believe this, and what do I accept about that?
Appreciation. What was this belief trying to protect me from?
Awareness. What choice can I see now that I could not see before?
The belief I choose to live from now
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The 1 action I will take this week that proves it
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When will I do it?
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