LESSON
Thinking Traps & Alternative Thoughts
What are thinking traps, and how can we develop alternative thoughts that support our digital well-being?
Thinking traps are unhelpful, automatic thought patterns that, when left unchecked, can lead to feelings of anxiety and upset. The good news is that just knowing about them can help you avoid a spiral into negative thinking. And developing alternative thoughts, using specific strategies to generate realistic, helpful replacements, can strengthen our digital well-being. Help students recognize common thinking traps in their digital lives and practice strategies for countering them.
This lesson was co-created with the Center for Digital Thriving.
Objectives
- Learn about "thinking traps" and how they can impact us when we use tech
- Understand how alternative thoughts can loosen the grip of negative, automatic thoughts
- Practice using alternative thinking strategies to realistically counter negative thoughts
Vocabulary
Thinking Traps ·
Negative Automatic Thoughts ·
Alternative Thoughts ·
Digital Well-Being
Thinking Traps – exaggerated or irrational negative thought patterns that can lead us to believe things that aren't necessarily true
Negative Automatic Thoughts – negative thoughts that pop up in our minds, which may not be true or helpful to us
Alternative Thoughts – more balanced ways of looking at the evidence in a situation so we can reconsider a thinking trap
Digital Well-Being – experiencing media and technology in ways that support our mental, physical, social, and emotional health
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Lesson Materials
This lesson was co-created with Center for Digital Thriving.