Stress and Coping Activity:Reframing Negative Thoughts

Stress management and coping techniques are not only relevant in many psychology courses but also personally relevant for undergraduate students. In this article, the authors describe an activity designed to provide students with practice evaluating and challenging negative self-talk. Students responded to scenarios individually, were paired with another student to challenge erroneous and negative thoughts, and then joined with another pair of students to discuss the activity generally. When compared to students who heard a lecture about reframing and negative self-talk, students who participated in the activity were more likely to advise negative thinkers to challenge their thoughts and beliefs.