Exercise: Replacing unhelpful thoughts with objective or helpful ones

Strategy: Thoughts about pregnancy or parenting

We suggest a three-step strategy to deal with these thoughts:

  • Observe and recognize the type of thought.
  • Determine whether it is helpful or unhelpful.
  • If unhelpful, replace the thought with a more objective or helpful one.

Exercise: Replacing unhelpful thoughts with objective or helpful ones

Click on the following examples of unhelpful thoughts to discover objective or beneficial alternative thoughts.


Objective thought: “Most deliveries go well.”

Helpful thought: “If I’m tired after the baby is born, it won’t be the end of the world.”

Helpful thought: “No mother is perfect. I will do my best and I will learn.”