Name________________________________ Class ______________ Date___________

Section 3-3
Practice
Group Activity: Positive and Negative Thinking
How you think about situations makes a big difference in how much stress they cause you. You
can think either positively or negatively about most situations. For example, as your teacher
shows you how to do a difficult problem, you might think “I can learn how to do this if I try”
(positive thinking) or “I’ll never be able to do this, so I might as well not try” (negative thinking).
Positive thinking can help you solve problems and decrease stress. Negative thinking can make
problems worse and increase stress.
As a group, brainstorm and record negative thoughts about each situation below. For each
negative thought, brainstorm and record a positive thought. Discuss how the different thoughts
would make you feel if you were in each situation.
1. A basketball player is about to take a foul shot.

Negative Thoughts: Positive Thoughts:

_______________________________ _______________________________

_______________________________ _______________________________

_______________________________ _______________________________

2. A student walks out on a stage to give a speech.

Negative Thoughts: Positive Thoughts:

_______________________________ _______________________________

_______________________________ _______________________________

_______________________________ _______________________________

3. Your teacher hands you a test and tells you to finish it in 30 minutes.

Negative Thoughts: Positive Thoughts:

_______________________________ _______________________________

_______________________________ _______________________________

_______________________________ _______________________________

4. You suddenly remember that you left your wallet on a park bench.

Negative Thoughts: Positive Thoughts:

_______________________________ _______________________________

_______________________________ _______________________________

_______________________________ _______________________________