Printables
By Dr. Laura Alfonso
All free printables
below.
G.L.A.D.
Research shows that Gratitude is very important for well-being. This printable helps in the practice of Gratitude. Using the mnemonic, GLAD, for Grateful, Learned, Accomplishment and Delight, the worksheet can be filled out daily to incorporate Gratitude into your life. If you need guidance with this activity, listen to GLAD for Happiness on my podcast, @luminositywithlaura Try it for a week and see the results!
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S.M.A.R.T.
Research shows that how we choose our goals is important for goal success and feelings of achievement. This printable helps you set S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound goals) to set you up for success which is important for feeling fulfilled and accomplished. This worksheet can be filled out whenever you are planning out your goals. If you need guidance with this activity, listen to SMART Goals on my podcast, @luminositywithlaura Try it and see the results!​​
Coping Techniques
Research shows that using coping techniques can significantly lower stress and enhance well-being. Although this may seem obvious, many people do not have a specific coping technique they use when they are feeling stressed and/or emotionally dysregulated. Knowing what coping technique works best for you and practicing it regularly when you are not dysregulated will make your chosen coping technique even more powerful when you need it. This printable has a list of coping techniques that you can try to find which ones resonate for you. Then, make them a part of your daily routine so when you need them the relaxation response they bring is powerful. You can listen to my Coping Techniques podcast on @luminositywithlauraTry them and see which works for you!​​
List of Cognitive Distortions
Research shows that we all fall into thinking traps that make us feel stuck, limit us, and/or sadden us. Recognizing our thinking traps (a.k.a. cognitive distortions) can help us combat them. This printable lists and defines the common cognitive distortions so you can recognize which are the ones you use which is the first step in casting off these thinking traps. If you'd like to hear my discussion of these cognitive distortions, listen to Cognitive Distortions on my podcast, @luminositywithlaura Try to identify yours, look out for them during your day and then, use these two printables, Cognitive Distortion Rx and Thought Record, to begin to help you change them. Although cognitive distortion work is hard, you'll see the results!​​
Cognitive Distortions Rx
Research shows that we all fall into thinking traps that make us feel stuck, limit us, and/or sadden us. Recognizing our thinking traps (a.k.a. cognitive distortions) and then doing activities that challenge them are the key to becoming free of them. This printable has a list of treatments for each cognitive distortion. Once you have figured out your automatic thoughts using the weekly activity, Thought Record, use this printable to think about the disadvantages and advantages of each cognitive distortion and learn how to cast them off. If you'd like to hear my discussion of these cognitive distortions, listen to Cognitive Distortions Rx Part 1 on my podcast, @luminositywithlaura Although cognitive distortion work is hard, you'll see the results!​​
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Cognitive Distortions: Benefits and Costs
Research shows that cognitive distortions that we use daily make us feel stuck, limit us, and/or sadden us. Recognizing our thinking traps (a.k.a. cognitive distortions) and then doing activities that challenge them are the key to becoming free of them. Sometimes in therapy a sticking point is that these cognitive distortions worked at one point. They were adaptive. The problem then is that we often still use our pattern of thinking even when they are no longer adaptive or useful. Figuring out the benefits and costs associated with the patterns of thought you use often helps people decide to reframe their automatic thoughts. This printable has a list of treatments for each cognitive distortion. Once you have figured out your most often used cognitive distortions, you can use this printable to identify their costs and benefits. If you'd like to hear my discussion of how to use this printable, listen to Cognitive Distortions Benefits and Costs on my podcast, @luminositywithlaura Although cognitive distortion work is hard, you'll see the results!​​
Thought Detective Extraordinaire
Once we have identified our primary cognitive distortions, there are a number of ways to work with them. We can challenge them in a multitude of ways. Challenging them and gathering evidence for why they may not be true often takes their power away which is great news because it leads to a decrease in depressive and anxious symptomatology. This printable is one technique for challenging your cognitive distortions. This worksheet asks you to gather the evidence for or against your story. When something happens in our world we all make stories up to make sense of what happened. Sometimes there is not a lot of evidence for the stories we believe. If you'd like to hear my discussion of how to use this printable, listen to Thought Detective Extraordinaire and Costs on my podcast, @luminositywithlaura Although cognitive distortion work is hard, you'll see the results!​​
Power of the Story
This worksheet is challenging but extremely effective in demonstrating first, how we create our reality and second, that there is choice in that. In the center of the worksheet you record the event. Using an event that is a source of sadness or anxiety or stress to you will optimize the benefit of this worksheet. Once you have put the event in the center circle, then start telling stories about the event. Try to include the one you have told yourself about the situation. Then come up with five other stories that could be other possible interpretations of the event. An important part of this worksheet, is then putting the feeling you would feel if each story was true. This is a very powerful demonstration about how the story we choose to tell ourself often determines what we feel which means to a large extent we can decide how we feel in response to an event. If you'd like guidance on how to use this printable, listen to The Power of the Story on my podcast, @luminositywithlaura ​​
Cognitive Defusion: Let's go to the movies
This worksheet introduces one of the most powerful techniques in ACT Therapy. ACT Therapy is centered around the idea of unhooking from thoughts that do not serve you. The very simplified and general idea is to have clients realize that they are not their thoughts and that when thoughts lead to feelings and behaviors that make them sad, anxious, stressed etc it is because they have 'fused' with a thought or in other words gotten hooked by a thought. In therapy, this is one of the most powerful techniques in ACT Therapy. There are a number of skills and techniques that a client can learn to not get hooked by a thought. The one introduced on this worksheet is Cognitive Defusion and this is just one way to develop it. If you'd like guidance on how to use this printable, listen to the Let's go to the Movies podcast on, @luminositywithlaura Alternatively, this is also part of my TikTok series on Cognitive Distortions.​​
Cue-Controlled Relaxation
Cue-Controlled Relaxation is a powerful technique that pairs your physical and psychological relaxation with a physical cue. This can be an extremely powerful tool when you feel yourself getting stressed about something. Once you have made a strong connection between your body and mind's relaxation and a physical cue (e.g. pushing down on your palm with your thumb), you can now use that physical cue anywhere to help yourself calm. If you'd like guidance on cue-controlled relaxation, listen to Cue-Controlled Relaxation on my podcast, @luminositywithlaura Although cognitive distortion work is hard, you'll see the results!​​
Fill Your Cup
Living your life daily with intentionality and in a way that is aligned with your values is linked with wellbeing. The Fill Your Cup printable allows you to think about your days and how you choose to fill them. Next, it asks you to reflect on your values and allows you to think about whether your days are reflecting your values or are they being filled up with reacting to events that are happening or to other people's needs. This printable guides you toward living your days with intentionality, filling them with what you value. If you'd like further guidance related to intentionally filling your cup, listen to Fill Your Cup: Living with Intentionality on my podcast, @luminositywithlaura Living with an intentional commitment to your values is a step toward luminosity.​​
Staying Mindful All Day
Mindfulness has been linked to reduced symptoms of depression and stress, enhanced focus and attention, improved emotion regulation and improved self-awareness. The Staying Mindful All Day printable gives you ideas on how to incorporate mindfulness into your day. Do an experiment and try it out for three days. During those three days do as many mindfulness practices as you can. The printable tells you where you can go to begin to incorporate mindfulness into your day. Commit to mindfulness and watch how living in the now instead of worrying about the future or regretting the past can transform your day. ​​
Choice Point
This worksheet adapts one of the strongest tools in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) developed by Russ Harris. I have found this to be one of the most effective interventions in therapy. ACT Therapy is centered around the idea of unhooking from thoughts that do not serve you. The very simplified and general idea is to have clients realize that they are not their thoughts and that when thoughts lead to feelings and behaviors that make them sad, anxious, stressed etc it is because they have 'fused' with a thought or in other words gotten hooked by a thought. The goal of the worksheet is to help clients understand that instead they have reached a choice point and have a decision of whether to move toward or away from the value-aligned life they are committed to building. If you'd like guidance on how to use this printable, listen to the Choice Point podcast on, @luminositywithlaura Alternatively, this is also part of my TikTok series on Cognitive Distortions.​​
Friend-love Party Checklist
Having relationships with people who love and care for you is essential for happiness. A feeling of connectedness is linked to well-being. People who are connected to others in meaningful ways report greater feelings of self-love. Throw you and your friends a friend-love party. Talk about what you love about each other and you'll find that each person will leave feeling more in love with who they are. Give it a shot. You may find you and your friends throw one every month!​​
Mindset
Mindset is the lens through which we see the world. Most often we move through life with a lens we do not observe, evaluate or challenge. From mindset, intentional awareness, personal power, adaptability and resilience flow. This free weekly activity plan centers around mindset work and guiding you from observing your own mindset, challenging it, replacing and then internalizing a new mindset. Mindset work is tough work since our mindset is buried down deep in our subconscious or deeper but it's transformative work, changing the way we see the world and opening doors we did not know were there before. If you want to take a deeper dive, check out The Luminous Journal on this website and make a journey of it.
Emotion Regulation Strategies
Emotion regulation skills are necessary to be able to use all the psychological skills you have. For example, you may have great communication skills, the ability to communicate your thoughts and feelings clearly while showing empathy but probably the moment you are emotionally upset, all those skills go out the window. While you are angry or sad or disappointed or vulnerable you may not be able to If you want to take a deeper dive, check out The Luminous Journal which will be focused on emotion regulation in December and make a journey of it.
