Practical mental health tools like thought defusion, positive reframing, and mindful grounding can help you navigate life’s challenges—especially if you practice them in calm moments so they’re ready when you need them.
I sent a version of this out to the Be Well Mailing List today. They’re a group of staff and students interested in tools for mental health and resilience (you are very welcome to sign-up). I thought it would also make a good blog post.
A key concept in modern mental health programs (like the Be Well Plan) is that there are evidence-based practices, that we can learn and implement, in everyday life, that positively impact our thinking, feeling and acting. They don’t fix all problems of thinking or feeling, and not every strategy works for every person, but their existence is very important. They remind us that we have some autonomy in shaping our experiences, if we are willing to learn and experiment with these practices.
So with that in mind, I thought I’d quickly describe 3 practical mental health tools, that can be found in the Be Well Plan. I’ve focused here on describing the tool, when it would be most helpful to use, and a suggestion for a regular practice that gets you more comfortable and familiar with using the tool.
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1️⃣ Thought Defusion 💭
Description: Thought defusion helps you step back from unhelpful thoughts instead of getting entangled in them. A simple method is adding “I’m having the thought that…” before a distressing thought to create distance from it.
Context Moment: When you find yourself spiralling into negative thoughts, like “I’m going to fail this exam,” pause and reframe it as “I’m having the thought that I’m going to fail this exam.” Even just this small shift can reduce the emotional intensity of a distressing thought.
Practice Moment: Before bed, take a moment to reflect on the day’s stressful thoughts and apply the “I’m having the thought that…” technique to them. Practicing in a calm setting helps build familiarity so you can better recall it in high-stress situations.
2️⃣ Positive Reframing 🖼️
Description: This technique shifts your perspective on difficult situations, helping you look for growth opportunities rather than focusing only on negatives.
Context Moment: After receiving critical feedback or facing a setback, instead of thinking, “I’m terrible at this,” reframe it as, “This is an opportunity to improve and learn.” This helps develop resilience and prevents self-criticism from taking over.
Practice Moment: Once a week, take five minutes to reflect on a recent challenge and ask yourself, “What’s one thing I learned from this? How could this situation help me grow?” This regular exercise makes it easier to apply positive reframing automatically when needed.
3️⃣ Mindful 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding 👣
Description: A quick mindfulness exercise that engages your senses to bring you into the present moment. You observe:
5 things you can see
4 things you can hear
3 things you can feel
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
Context Moment: If you’re feeling anxious before a big event (a presentation, exam, or social situation), use this method to calm your nervous system and anchor yourself in the present.
Practice Moment: During a daily walk, meal, or coffee break, do a quick 5-4-3-2-1 scan of your surroundings. Regular practice makes this tool easier to recall and use under stress.
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The ‘practice moments’ are really worth paying attention to. Each of these tools works best when applied during difficult moments, BUT we rarely think to use these tools during difficult moments, because our attention is hijacked by the strong emotions. Practice moments are where you use the tools during calmer moments to help you develop a kind of ‘mental muscle memory’ so that thinking in these ways becomes second nature and you find it easier to deploy these practices when necessary.
Those few minutes before we go to sleep can be a great time to practice these tools. Usually, because we can utilise a difficult moment from the day as a focal point. For example, with positive reframing, I can think about something that annoyed me that day and practice trying to find some positives from the situation. It doesn’t mean negating the frustration. It simply means recognising there was more to the situation than just that which annoyed me. As I get better at finding the positives, the more likely I am to be able to do it closer to the actual moment that I am annoyed.
If a physical metaphor helps, it is like training in the gym, so that when a moment in real life requiring strength presents itself, you have that strength there because of the regular training.
Have a great week everyone.
Oh yeah, I mention it quite regularly, but if you’d like to see a big catalogue of similar activities, you can visit the Greater Good In Action (GGIA) website.
These ways are easy approaches. I made a note to remind myself practice frequently. Thank you.