7 Ways to Encourage Positive Brain Power in Your Child + Video

By Jean Tracy, MSS

POSTIVE BRAIN POWER HELPS YOUR CHILD ESCAPE DARK FEELINGS!

If you're concerned about your youngster's painful emotions and the thoughts that fuel them, keep reading. Then watch the YouTube Video below for an important discussion with your child.

Has your student adopted "poor me, I can't," or attitudes that blame others for his own mistakes? If your child says, "I'm sorry" too often could she be plagued with an overdose of guilt?

Negative thoughts and emotions become habits. Such patterns hover over a child like black clouds ready to engulf him at any moment. How can you teach an effective escape to a brighter future?

How Can Thought-Stopping Influence Negative Thinking Habits?

Thought-Stopping breaks the cycle of gloomy thoughts. Breaking this cycle is a big part of the solution.

If the thought-stopping method ended with halting the cycle, there would still be no barrier to jumping right back into dark thinking. More steps need to be taken.

As a child and family counselor, here are the steps I've taught both adults and children.

7 Thought-Stopping Steps to Teach Your Child:

Discuss how dark thinking can become a painful habit. Tell your child, "Sometimes it feels 'good' to feel sorry for ourselves. But pitying ourselves leads to a black hole." "That hole can drown us in self-pity, fear, guilt, or anger. It's filled with exaggerations, lies, and set-backs. When we're in that hole, it's hard to look up and see how to move forward. Don't let this happen to you."
Encourage your youngster to, "Make a list of powerful happy thoughts by thinking of times when you felt overjoyed."
Ask, "What physical actions would help you stop discouraging thoughts? Write down several ideas."
"Pretend you catch yourself thinking ideas that are taking you down a black hole."
"Use an action step from number 3."
"Switch to a thought from number 2 and stay with it for 30 seconds." (30 seconds is the magic number for stopping our tendency to jump right back into negative thinking.)
When you've switched your thoughts successfully, tell yourself, "I am in control of my own brain."

The Thought-Stopping Results

You saw seven simple activities that help your child think clearly, use memory better, and stay curious. You learned how puzzles, good sleep, friendly debates, new experiences, and healthy foods all boost brain power. You discovered how showing up with interest in your child’s thinking motivates them to grow their mind. You now know how you can gently guide your child into stronger thinking every day.