Not feeling that great about yourself today? Don’t take your word for it. Go ahead and argue with those negative thoughts.

• Think about a recent time when your mood changed quickly from calm to sad, or calm to anxious
• Immediately before your mood changed, chances are a thought ran through your mind (or a collection of thoughts). Try to identify one of these
• Write down things that confirm your thoughts – stuff you’ve actually done, seen or heard
• Then write down things that disagree with your thought
• If it helps, ask a friend or whanau what they can think of
• Tally up the score and see what the facts say.

He ahiahi pokopoko, he ata hī tore – ‘As the fire is extinguished, the light of dawn shines through.’