{"id":183,"date":"2020-04-10T00:07:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-10T04:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/psyvitaliti.ca\/magazine\/?p=183"},"modified":"2026-02-21T19:15:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T00:15:55","slug":"julies-anger-turns-to-acceptance-using-1-sentence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/psyvitaliti.ca\/magazine\/julies-anger-turns-to-acceptance-using-1-sentence\/","title":{"rendered":"Julie\u2019s anger turns to acceptance using 1 sentence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hardship needs no introduction. It\u2019s all around us and mentioned daily on every news outlet and social media platform.<\/em><\/h3>\n

This series of articles is not about hardship. It\u2019s about you.<\/h3>\n

Our newsletter Weathering the Storm is a source of curated tips and strategies to help you weather the COVID-19 storm. This newsletter is inspired by actual clients* and written by experienced psychologists.<\/p>\n

*All client names are fictional and presenting issues are composites of client experiences.<\/p>\n

Meet Julie*<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since she applied to university, Julie\u2019s been refreshing her email and checking daily with her friends to see if they have heard back from the programs they applied to. She\u2019s angry she isn\u2019t getting a response quickly enough. Every time she thinks about it, she gets upset, and it spoils her mood for the rest of the day.<\/p>\n

What if one sentence could help Julie snap out of an irritable or angry state ?<\/p>\n

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Depression self-test<\/h3>\n

Feeling down ? Take our 9 item questionnaire to help assess your depression severity. <\/p>\n

Book Now<\/span><\/span> <\/a> <\/p>\n

Our recommendation<\/h3>\n

One of the most powerful methods to snap out of an irritable or angry mood is the Semantic Method.<\/p>\n

The spirit behind the Semantic Method is to reshape an angering thought using less upsetting words. To get this done, Julie needs to find the hidden \u201cshould\u201d in her thoughts. When angry or irritated, there\u2019s always a \u201cshould\u201d thought lurking around in our head.<\/p>\n

\u201cShould\u201d is probably the most toxic thought in the English language because when things don\u2019t happen the way they \u201cshould\u201d, it by definition leads to disappointment, which easily leads to irritation and anger.<\/p>\n

For Julie, a possible \u201cshould\u201d thought in this situation would be \u201cI should have heard back from the program with an admission decision by now \u201d.<\/p>\n

Once we\u2019ve identified the \u2018\u2019should\u2019\u2019 thought, the second step is to reshape it using different, less upsetting words. Specifically, using this 3 part sentence: (1) It would have been nicer\/better\/easier if \u2026, (2) but it didn\u2019t happen, (3) and it\u2019s not the end of the world.<\/p>\n

For Julie, reformulating her \u2018\u2019should\u2019\u2019 thought would look like this : \u2018\u2018It would have been easier if I had received an admission decision by now, but I didn\u2019t, and it\u2019s not the end of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the benefit of each part of this sentence ?<\/p>\n