Lesson 1 of 8
Catch the extreme words
About 3 min
The goal
Build awareness of all-or-nothing language — the first step to softening it.
Do it step by step
- 1
For one day, listen for extreme words in your own head and speech: always, never, everyone, ruined, hopeless.
- 2
Write down two you catch. Don't change them yet — just notice.
- 3
For each, ask: is this literally true? What would a more exact sentence be?
- 4
Notice that the exact version usually feels less heavy, even though nothing else changed.
For parents
Make it a game, not a correction: anyone in the family can gently flag an "always" or "never" — including in parents' own sentences.
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