Practice Scenarios

A patient feels inadequate and expects failure. Always starts things enthusiastically and wants the work to be of importance. Has been in a depression from past failure, always feeling the undertaking is too difficult.

They are kind, quite and very fatigued. Works as a volunteer at a charity shop 3 days and delivers meals on wheels 3 days. Does household chores and groceries for elderly parents and worries that they will fall ill / trip over when they are alone.

They have finally finished study and is not sure what to do next? More study or set up practice? All the thoughts are going around and around especially at night in bed, and they can’t get to sleep.

After I graduated from high school, I had to select my university course, since I had little knowledge of the courses and I had little real-life experience, I felt very uncertain about the course I should take. I had a few courses to consider and finally had to decide between two?

It was a relatively big decision that would affect my career path, so it was crucial that I make the right selection.

My supervisor asked me to take on the extra role of someone who had left suddenly. I was afraid I would be out of my depth in a new position and would fail.

The bureaucracy of a large organization means I may have to wait for months before a replacement is found. I may end up ‘biting off more than I can chew’ and take on too much?

I think the long hours will take their toll on my already tired body and I will not be able to cope.

I finally quit my job to start my own business, I faced the most unknown time of my life, I was very concerned how this would impact my family?

There was uncertainty surrounding the time it would take for my business to take off, also uncertainty about my income (I have had no income since I was starting a new business).

There was also the potential concern that my business ideas were not good enough and might never take off.

These thoughts plagued me and ate up much of my time.

I had entered university full of hope and enthusiasm I might meet my special someone there. I spent a lot of time daydreaming about this.

However, I never expected to have my heart broken instead. A part of me was filled with melancholy and sadness as though I would never be happy again.

I thought graduation would be close to this chapter. I thought I could finally put all this behind me, but I doubt I will ever be able to let go of the pain, no matter what I try.

I didn’t realize it at that time, but I grew up collecting the residual anger from my parents and their recurring arguments.

When you are constantly in the face of people arguing, it doesn’t matter even if you are not the subject of the arguments—the angst will naturally rub off on you. I very much resent their treatment of me.

I am now working with someone who is very argumentative, I find I come home at night and need to drink ½ a bottle of wine before to cope.

When I was in my pre-teens, I was the listener in the majority of my friendships. I rarely talked because I didn’t like to (I was shy and embarrassed). If people had something to say to me, I would listen, but I would rarely speak unless asked to do so.

My friends would continuously share about themselves in a non-stop fashion, sometimes asking for my advice and opinions, but never asking about myself or my life.

It was like a one-way street. I felt used and abused.

My hatred of my body stemmed from my inferiority about my body weight

I had always felt that I was heavier than I ought to be. While I had never been overweight nor truly “fat” even, I had always thought that I would be happier if I was lighter?

I had always believed that regardless of how (well) I looked, how many people praised me about my appearance, or how heavy (or light) I was, I would be much more attractive if I was slimmer— but I have resigned myself to the fact that, that will never happen.

It was as simple as that. I thought maybe he didn’t like me because I was too critical all the time?

That I was not well-tempered, that I was too forthright about my convictions, I like to persuade people to see my point of view.

I concluded that if he didn’t like me, it was because I wasn’t good enough

Self–help addicts are fervent in engaging in self-help. They frequent self-help books and/or blogs, believing every word

They attend one seminar after another, During which, they immerse themselves and get a motivational high, which leads to some positive life change. However, when the excitement tapers off, the change disappears too, and they are back to where they started.

Lost but with hope, they then move to the next self-help resource, looking for that boost.

My emotional eating issues formed when I was a kid, as a result of societal conditioning, media conditioning, and the way food was used as a proxy for love in my family.

I grew up, heavily tangled in a series of warped beliefs surrounding myself, food, eating, and last but not least, love.

Disappointments are dissatisfactions that arise when your expectations are not met by outcomes. Every day, people disappoint me. Depending on how big the disappointment is and how I choose to deal with it, the feeling of disappointment may hang over my life for an extended period of time. I just don’t think there is hope for this cycle to change.

This year I was spending all of my time in my home office and spent very little time meeting people or doing the activities I had previously enjoyed.

I soon felt drained, edgy, and unhappy, which in turn spilled over to my work and made me unproductive.

Someone would ask me what was wrong and I would just burst into tears. I was exhausted.

My parents were born in the 1950s. It was the post-war times when society was not as affluent as it is today. They often spoke of tough times they had growing up and how it had made them grateful for what they did have. They believed excess would make them lazy and they (happily) lived a very Spartan way of life.

When it came to cooking, my parents, especially my mum, would prepare gratuitous amounts of food, much more than what was needed. If I was to ever reject her offer of food or not eat the food she prepared, it would be as if I rejected her love.

I felt guilty if I didn’t do as she wanted. Her face would grimace into a permanent frown, which would remain the whole day/night until I finally ate something.

Everyone has his/her own say in how he/she wants to lead his/her life. However, I often disagree with the choices people make, and I can become quite critical, especially of my loved ones, letting them know my unhappiness with what they are doing. I believe I have their best interests at heart and want them to change so they will be happier.

The challenge with dealing with the negative people I work with is that interactions with them tend to be draining for me.

No matter what I say to some, they are always negative and domineering. It is “their way or the highway”.

When others have a problem, they prefer to be the victim and complain, rather than work out a solution.

I notice others have a tendency to criticize, at times even insult. these people can be sarcastic and tactless, often stepping on people’s toes.

I would feel annoyed whenever people got in my way. I could never stand to wait more than a few minutes for a bus before feeling irritated at how long it was taking.

If things ever progressed slower than expected, I would feel annoyed and irritated. Thoughts like “Why is this so slow?”, “Why can’t this be faster?” or “What’s next?” is more than familiar to me.

The thought of slipping up and having people judge me and the embarrassment that will occur, play on my mind.

I am such a perfectionist, the thought of something going wrong is just unacceptable to me.

Thoughts of forgetting a speech or a presentation going wrong, really infuriate me. I am concerned about if it did happen what I might do!