REDIRECTING THOUGHTS
- Sienna Eve Benton
- Mar 3
- 4 min read
User Friendly Mindfulness Activity for Therapists Treating Mental Health Patients
Materials: Pen or marker for psych patients.
Download Activity PDF here :
STEP 1 Begin your session with an affirmation:
Affirmation
“Life is wasted when it’s spent replaying what cannot be changed or rehearsing what may never happen.”
Spend 3-5 minutes discussing the patients interpretation of the affirmation.
Step 2: Invite patients to complete a brief self reflection survey.
This exercise gently anchors them in the present moment while increasing awareness of their current thought patterns and emotional state.
Putting their answers into writing helps organize scattered thoughts, clarify recurring themes, and create insight into how often the mind drifts to the past or future. Seeing these patterns on paper allows patients to step back and view their thinking from a broader perspective, making the intensity and impact of rumination easier to understand and address.
How often do you think about the past, or something in the future that hasn’t happened yet?
___ Almost every day
___ A few times a week
___ Not often
Are these thoughts about memories or things you have to do or need to happen?
___ I mostly think about past memories, relationships, or places
___ I worry about what I have to do or need to do
___ I fantasize about my future goals
___ I distract myself so I don’t have to think
When do you catch your mind wandering?
___ In the mornings
___ Throughout the day
___ At night before bed
___ All the time
What feelings do you experience when you let your mind wander?
___ Grief because I’m missing something, someone, or somewhere
___ Anxiety over my career and life responsibilities
___ Relief because it is my way of escaping reality
___ Anger because I struggle with letting go
Other (write feeling here)___________________________
What is your most common thought(s) about today?
___ Relationships
___ Career
___ Purpose
Other___________________________________
Discuss for 3-5 minutes the patient's answers, what did they learn about their thoughts and mindset?
Step 3: Introduce Patient(s) to Research on Mind Wandering
Research by psychologists Matthew A. Killingsworth and Daniel T. Gilbert, published in Science.org journal found that:
On average, people’s minds were thinking about things not directly related to their current activity for about 46.9 % of their waking hours. This includes thoughts about events not happening in the present, such as past experiences or future possibilities.
The study used an iPhone web app called “Tracking Your Happiness” to gather 250,000 data points on subjects' thoughts, feelings, and actions as they went about their lives.
Study Source
Matthew A. Killingsworth, Daniel T. Gilbert. A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind. Science, 2010; 330 (6006): 932 DOI: 10.1126/science.1192439
In simple terms, if someone is awake for about 16 hours a day, 46.9% equals roughly: 7.5 hours per day spent thinking about something other than the present moment.**
That is over 50 hours per week!
Mind wandering can happen especially after we have experienced a breakup, lost a job, are moving, or a traumatic experience. So how do we identify when we are “mind wandering” and how do we redirect the thought to help us cope with our past, or manage our outcomes?
Discuss with patients how they feel knowing how much time and energy they spend on these thoughts, and other ways they could use that time for 3-5 minutes
Step 4: Introduce Patient(s) How to Redirect Thoughts
HOW TO REDIRECT THOUGHTS
Identify the thought:
Today I’m thinking about_________________________________________________
Identify if this thought is in or out of your control:
___ I cannot change what happened, but I can learn how to cope
___ I can still take steps to manage the outcome
___ I’d like to let go of the thought and focus on something else
Select a redirectional thought from the example list below:
___ List 10 movies that made you laugh.
___ What is a dream you remember?
___ How can I decorate my living space?
___ Think of 5 historical figures you admire and why.
___ What would I plant in a small garden?
___ What book would I like to try to read?
___ What would I put in a time capsule?
___ What would I cook using only five ingredients?
___ What show or movie do I want to watch or rewatch?
___ What would I name my podcast? What would it be about?
___ List qualities people most often compliment me on.
___ What can I clean or straighten in 5 minutes?
___ What are 5 items I can throw away that I don’t need?
___ List 3 kinder versions of this thought.
___ If I designed a tattoo that represents strength, what would it be?
___ What is my lucky number? How many times have I seen it this week?
Write a description of the first step you can do to take action on that thought?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Is this a step or action you can accomplish today?
___ Sure, I’ll give it a try
___ Not today, but thinking about it helped
Discuss with patients which thought they selected and their description. Did they decide to take action or did they find redirection technique helpful?
