DEVELOPING THE WHOLE PERSON

RELATIONSHIP OF THOUGHTS, FEELINGS, AND BEHAVIOR

Personal Development
Sir Maverick Jann M. Esteban, MPA (Cand.)

Your thoughts, feelings, and actions interplay with one another. Your thoughts
determine your mood or emotions. You act upon what you think and feel. Your way of
thinking is influenced by your personal, familial, and social experiences, which may not
all be positive. These experiences contribute to the thoughts that we automatically
think in response to an experience. Let’s take a closer look on you Automatic Negative
Thoughts (ANTs) or anxiety-provoking thoughts that just seem to come into our mind
without any basis, which can make your feel sad, hopeless, and angry. Consider this
example. You failed your first quiz in #PerDev and your automatic negative thought
was, “I can’t do it. I’m just not good in this course.” As a result, you feel sad about the
result and afraid of the course; you also feel demotivated to study your lessons. Hence,
you skip attending the course or intentionally do not listen anymore to your teacher.

Further, you may also be nurturing ANTs unconsciously. The more you believe
them, the more pessimistic and unhappy you become. The more you believe that you
are #Dumb because you failed your quiz in #PerDev, the more you become anxious and
afraid to learn the lessons. Or you do not have the confidence to talk to your #Teacher.
More pitifully, such thoughts may stop you from solving other pertaining problems.

Hence, the way to overcome these negative feelings is to challenge your negative
thoughts. Remember that ignoring your negative thoughts would not drive them away.
To be able to challenge your negative thoughts, you need to acknowledge them first. In
being aware of them, you will know how they affect you. You can use your emotions to
identify your negative thoughts. Notice the thoughts that come to your mind when
your mood changes. Write these thoughts in our #Journal. Once you are fully aware of
your negative thoughts, you may start challenging them. Here are some of the
questions that will help you do so:
 What are your experiences that support such thoughts?
 What are your experiences that disprove them?
 Are you confusing facts with your thoughts?
 Are you only paying attention to the sad part of your experience?
 Are you expecting yourself to be perfect?

-Maverick Jann Esteban

 As your thoughts and feelings fuel your whole body, you will act accordingly.
Positive dispositions bring about good-natured feelings, which are reflected in your
facial expressions and your body movements.

Likewise, when you recently just encountered a sad experience such as your
recent #BreakUp, your feelings generate sad thoughts, and you may notice that your
body feels heavy and that you move slowly. On the other hand, pleasant feelings are
elicited when you are in love even thought your partner is just cheating you. This is
true because there is no poreber.

Lastly, your bodily reactions influence your thoughts and feelings. Wen you are
tired, your body produces sluggish thoughts and you may get easily irritated or sad
about petty things.

Thus, the interplay of your thoughts, feelings, and actions significantly affect
your attitudes, behaviour, and personality. Further, this influence is an underlying
factor contributing to your uniqueness as a person. When you take charge of the way
you think and deliberately choose what thoughts to entertain, you control your
emotions and how you express them. An emotionally stable teenager knows to let off
emotional steam in a socially acceptable manner. Taking control of your thoughts and
your emotions is an indicator that you are slowly maturing.

-----good luck po sa exam!-----

-Maverick Jann Esteban