Self defeating Belief Number 5

My unhappiness is caused by things outside my control and things that happened to me in the past – so there’s little I can do to feel any better.

Happiness is something that is within our control not within the control of something outside of us. CBT is based upon the concepts that what we think influences our emotions, therefore our happiness is created by our own thoughts and perceptions. Events and circumstances do not cause your reactions. They result from what you tell yourself about the things that happen. Put simply, thoughts cause feelings and behaviors. Or, more precisely, events and circumstances serve to trigger thoughts, which then create reactions. Past events do influence the way in which we view the world now. But we also have the power to influence the way we see the world now. We can make a conscious effort to challenge any irrational thoughts that lead to our unhappiness. We can’t change what has happened in the past, but we can change how we interpret that event and how we let it impact on our life now and in the future.

A healthier idea

My problem(s) may be influenced by factors outside my control and events in my past, but my thoughts and actions also influence my problem(s) and they are under my control.