The TEA You Think...Not Drink

LISTEN TO EPISODE 4 HERE.

Today, we are talking about the TEA you think... not drink. Now, what does that mean?

The term TEA here is referring to a life response cycle that has its roots in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.  This TEA (T-E-A) is an acronym for:

T -Thoughts

E - Emotions

A - Actions

The reason that the THOUGHT- EMOTION - ACTION cycle is so important is because our life response patterns generally follow the order presented in this acronym. Our thoughts fuel our emotions and our emotions often the dictate our actions.

The TEA cycle reveals that our actions are never just independent choices. We do not act in certain ways for no reason. We act in certain ways and we do certain things because of the thoughts and emotions that have fueled those actions. If we want to change some patterns of behavior, we first must go back to our thought processes and start our work there. A good place to start is by observing and recording some of your thought patterns. 

Download the free resource below that will guide you step-by-step through this process!

Once we have identified some of our negative thought patterns, the next step is to begin disrupting the cycle. We can do this at any point (at the thought stage, emotion stage, or action stage). We cannot climb higher if we are stuck in the mire of dysfunction. We must not only learn how to identify negative thoughts, but to replace them with positive thoughts/truths.

Here are some examples:

• Negative Thought: I am not good enough, I can’t do this.
  • Truth: God has given me everything I need to successfully navigate this situation. 
• Negative Thought: I have no purpose. I don’t even know why I am here.
  • Truth: God has chosen me and appointment me to bear fruit.
• Negative Thought: I’m going fail and humiliate myself.
  • Truth: I am willing to step up and grow through whatever God brings my way in this situation.
• Negative Thought: What am I doing? I’ve failed too many times to think I will succeed now.
  • Truth: I have the spiritual courage to go forward and see what God will do.

The more we learn to recognize and identify our TEA cycle, the more this process can actually become an alarm system for our lives. When we realize that unwanted or counterproductive actions are tied to underlying thoughts and emotions, we can use this awareness to step into and disrupt the cycle.