Connected Therapy LLC

I love these alternative statements.

When they say, "too quiet,"
I say, “Don't change, perceptive observer.
You're going to bring wisdom to the chaos.”

When they say, "too inquisitive,"
I say, “Don't change, great thinker.
You're going to bring answers to the toughest questions.”

When they say, "too energetic,"
I say, “Don't change, lively one.
You're going to bring joy and laughter to desperate times.”

When they say, "too sensitive,"
I say, “Don't change, deep feeler.
You're going to bring compassion to hurting souls.”

When they say, "too anxious,"
I say, “Don't change, fierce protector.
You're going to bring thoughtful deliberation to tricky situations.”

When they say, "too distracted,"
I say, “Don't change, awesome Noticer.
You're going to bring attention to the most important details of life.”

The most important thing I did as a special education teacher was reframe the negative labels that had been placed on my students, so they could see their perceived weaknesses as strengths – and with some nurturing, we were able to grow their inherent gifts and their belief in themselves.

-Rachel Macy Stafford

📘 If you’d like to learn how to reframe negative labels into strengths and support teens in a world that constantly tells them they are not enough, you can find it in my fourth book