Physical and Emotional Health: Lesson 183

Developing Healthy Thinking Patterns

“Whose Mind is Stayed on Thee”

Our thoughts can affect how we feel and the choices we make each day. Some thoughts help us make good decisions while others can negatively influence our feelings and actions. As Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know and understand our thoughts (Psalm 139:1–2), focusing on Them can help us create healthy thinking patterns. This lesson can help students look to the Savior as they establish healthy thinking patterns.

Student preparation: Invite students to pay attention to the thoughts they have throughout the day. They could even reflect on how those thoughts make them feel.

Possible Learning Activities

The effect of our thoughts

You may want to begin class by giving students 30 seconds to write down some of the thoughts they have had yesterday or today.

Consider displaying the following image on the board. You could explain that this diagram can represent the effect our thinking patterns have on our actions and progress. If we do not manage them in a healthy way, unhelpful thinking patterns may result in our feeling stuck. We might sometimes assume our ability to make decisions and take action is limited. When we focus on these thoughts, they can cause us to feel bad about ourselves and others. Helpful thinking patterns help us move forward. They help us recognize our ability to act with faith in Jesus Christ.

• What kinds of thoughts might result in our feeling stuck (the pit)? What kinds of thoughts help us move forward (the path)?

  Students might mention thoughts like, “You made me mad,” can cause them to feel stuck. Thinking “I can try again” can help them move forward.

• What are some of the decisions someone might make based on inaccurate or unhelpful thoughts?

Take a moment to invite the Spirit to help you recognize how you have seen your thoughts impact the actions you take. As you study, seek inspiration to know what you can do to overcome these negative thinking patterns.

Focusing our minds on Jesus Christ

As we seek to manage unhelpful or inaccurate thinking patterns, it can be beneficial to refocus our minds on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. To help students see ways the Lord promises to bless us as we focus on Him, consider displaying the following scripture passages. You could organize students in groups of three and have each student study one passage and share what they learned.

Isaiah 26:3–4

Jacob 3:1–2

Doctrine and Covenants 6:23, 36–37

• What blessings can we receive when we focus our minds (thoughts) on Jesus Christ?

  You could write the following principle on the board: As we focus our minds on Jesus Christ, He will give us peace and strength.

  To increase students’ confidence that the Savior will help them focus their minds on Him, you could show the video “Filling Our Minds with the Power of Jesus Christ” (2:07) in place of Elder Andersen’s statement below.

• How do you think focusing our minds on Jesus Christ gives us peace and strength?

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught us how we can focus our minds on Jesus Christ.

Filling our mind with the power of Jesus Christ does not mean that He is the only thought we have. But it does mean that all our thoughts are circumscribed in His love, His life and teachings, and His atoning sacrifice and glorious Resurrection. Jesus is never in a forgotten corner, because our thoughts of Him are always present and “all that is in [us adores] him!” We pray and rehearse in our mind experiences that have brought us closer to Him. We welcome into our mind divine images, holy scriptures, and inspired hymns to gently cushion the countless daily thoughts rushing through our busy lives. Our love for Him does not shield us from the sadness and sorrow in this mortal life, but it allows us to walk through the challenges with a strength far beyond our own. (“My Mind Caught Hold upon This Thought of Jesus Christ,” Liahona, May 2023, 92) (time code 3:50 to 5:02)

• Which recommendations from Elder Andersen stand out to you?

• How have images, scriptures, or sacred music helped you or someone you know focus on Jesus Christ?

Practice responding to unhelpful thoughts

The following steps can help us overcome negative thinking patterns. Consider writing them on the board.

When we have unhelpful thoughts, we can:

1. Recognize thoughts as they occur and the emotions that result.

2. Reframe our thinking.

3. Move forward with faith in Jesus Christ.

1. Recognize. The following scenario can help students recognize some unhelpful thoughts a person may have throughout the day. Adapt the scenario to match situations your students may experience.

During math class, Tony struggled to understand concepts that made sense to other students.

When Tony got home from school, his parents threatened to take away his phone if he didn’t clean his room.

That night, Tony found out most of his friends were going to a party he hadn’t been invited to.

• What thoughts might Tony have had throughout the day?

  Here are possible ways students could respond. The parentheticals are labels of common inaccurate thinking patterns. You can learn more about them in Finding Strength in the Lord: Emotional Resilience, “Healthy Thinking Patterns: Learn.”

  • “I am not good at math. Everyone is smarter than me.” (Mislabeling)

  • “My parents never tell me what I do right; they always tell me what I need to do better.” (All or Nothing)

  • “My friends don’t like me.” (Jumping to Conclusions)

  • “Nothing good happened today. It was just failure after failure.” (Negative Mental Filter; Discounting the Positive)

• Which emotions might Tony experience with these thoughts?

• What are some unhelpful ways Tony might be tempted to act on these emotions?

2. Reframe our thinking. Consider reading Isaiah 55:8–9 and discussing how the Lord’s thoughts are higher than ours. Reframing our thinking can help us elevate our thoughts to be more like the Lord’s. Consider displaying the following for students:

Define

Reframing our thoughts means that when an unhelpful thought occurs, we evaluate it from a different perspective. We can do this by asking questions like:

• Is this thought accurate?

• Is it helpful?

• How could thinking of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and Their teachings help me with this thought?

You could write these questions on the board for students to use as they help Tony.

Model

Pretend you are Tony, and you have the thought “I am not good at math.”

Help Tony reframe this thought by answering the following questions:

• Is this thought accurate?

• Is it helpful?

• How could thinking of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and Their teachings help me with this thought?

You might reframe Tony’s thought with something like: “This thought is not helpful (even if right now it is accurate). I know Heavenly Father has promised to answer my prayers. I can pray for His help. My teacher will help me, and I can put in extra work.”

• What are some other ways Tony could reframe his thinking? What could he do to move forward with faith in Christ?

Practice

Pick one of Tony’s thoughts to practice the skill of reframing by responding to the questions.

Practice healthy thinking patterns

Display the following image. Students could also draw a copy in their study journals. Explain that the ladder can represent ways the Savior helps us to focus on Him, reframe our thinking patterns, and move forward.

1. Recognize. Write a negative or unhelpful thought you have had or might have in the future in the thought bubble in the pit. Identify any emotions that may accompany the thought.

2. Reframe your thinking. Ask yourself the following questions to help you reframe that thought. You could write the answers next to the ladder.

   • Is this thought accurate? Is it helpful?

   • How could focusing on Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and Their teachings help me with this thought?

3. Move forward with faith in Jesus Christ. Write a new thought that will help you move forward with faith in Jesus Christ in the thought bubble outside of the pit. Write down a scripture or hymn, find an image, or list another way you could keep your focus on Christ (Isaiah 26:3–4; Doctrine and Covenants 6:36) to manage that thought.

After enough time, invite willing students to share what impressed them most from the lesson.

Remind students that creating healthy thinking patterns often takes repeated efforts, and the Savior will help them. You might end class by reading Isaiah 26:3–4 to remind them of the blessings Jesus Christ will bring to their lives as they strive to focus their minds on Him.

Additional Resources

How can I be blessed by focusing my mind on the Savior?

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

By focusing our attention on Jesus Christ, all else around us—while still present—is viewed through our love for Him. Less important distractions fade, and we remove those things that are not in keeping with His light and character. As you continue to attentively catch hold of this thought of Jesus Christ, trust in Him, and keep His commandments, I promise you not only heavenly guidance but heavenly power—power that brings strength to your covenants, peace to your difficulties, and joy to your blessings. (“My Mind Caught Hold upon This Thought of Jesus Christ,” Liahona, May 2023, 93) (time code 8:48 to 9:33)

President Camille N. Johnson of the Relief Society General Presidency taught:

“We all experience the burdens of mortality. We experience sickness, loss, heartache, disappointment, and difficulty—but as we align our hearts and minds with Jesus Christ, He will support us. He will offer relief.” (Facebook, June 2, 2023, facebook.com/RSGeneralPresident)

Where can I learn more about thinking patterns?

Finding Strength in the Lord: Emotional Resilience, Chapter 2, “Healthy Thinking Patterns”

“Gospel Living: Are any of these familiar?”

Supplemental Learning Activities

Ways to evaluate our thoughts

You could use some of the following questions to help students evaluate Tony’s thoughts or to help students evaluate their own thoughts.

• Is this something the Savior would want me to think or feel?

• Is this thought all or nothing—all good or all bad, win or lose, true or false?

• How do I feel when I have this thought?

• What do I know about myself and others that tells me this is not accurate?

• What would I tell my best friend if they thought these things?

An additional way to help reframe our thoughts

Another way to reframe our thinking is to evaluate our thoughts from another person’s perspective. Students could evaluate one of their thoughts by asking the following question:

• What would I tell a friend who had this same thought?

The following experience from Elder Ryan K. Olsen of the Seventy illustrates how seeing our thoughts from another perspective can help us correct inaccurate thoughts. (time code 6:01 to 8:00)

The Savior will bring peace to our minds

You could show the video “Am I Good Enough?” (3:28) as an example of correcting unhealthy thinking patterns. You might pause the video at 1:00 and invite students to list the negative thoughts described in the video. Then students can watch the rest of the video, looking for ways to focus on Jesus Christ to overcome the negative thoughts listed.

Examples of thinking patterns in the Old Testament

Lamentations 3:18–26. Students could study these verses to see an example of focusing our minds on Jesus Christ. Explain that the book of Lamentations reflects the feelings of Jeremiah and the Jewish people after Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians and the people were taken captive.

Read Lamentations 3:18–26, looking for different thoughts and feelings the people experienced.

You might help students notice the negative thoughts in verses 18–20, the shift in thinking in verse 21, and the focus on Jesus Christ in verses 22–26. Students could share how this example can help them with their own thoughts.

Numbers 13–14. Students could study the example of Caleb, Joshua, and the other 10 spies sent to inspect the promised land (see Numbers 13–14). Consider displaying a list of common inaccurate thinking patterns (see Finding Strength in the Lord: Emotional Resilience, “Healthy Thinking Patterns: Learn”). Invite students to read Numbers 13:27–33, looking for examples of inaccurate thinking patterns. Contrast Caleb’s and Joshua’s thoughts in Numbers 14:6–9 with those of the other ten spies in Numbers 13:31–33.