How to fix a bad attitude

Many ways to skin a cat, the Martial Arts idea is good.

I’ll throw out another suggestion.  There’s a book called “Feeling Good” by David Burns.  You don’t even have to read the entire book, but it’s about reframing negative thoughts.  It’s called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

In the book he describes 10 Cognitive Distortions.  For example one is “All or Nothing Thinking”.  If a person is having negative thoughts they may be thinking in extremes.  Something like “Work isn’t fun and I’m not top dog; therefore I must be a failure.” That’s a distortion in thinking because the person is thinking in black and white, when life is usually in shades of gray ie, they’re not a failure.

So while the book is about dealing with anxiety and depression, I believe knowledge of what the 10 cognitive distortions are can be helpful for anyone.  It can help reframe things mentally.

One last thing, the entire book may not be for everyone…we all think and relate to things differently.  But I recommend at least being familiar with the 10 distortions if you’re often thinking negatively.

PS:  This is but one way to attack a “Bad Attitude”.  If, for example, a person is getting sodomized at work it’s not your attitude.  This is just a suggestion on a method to stay positive.