It’s like a computer—if you put wrong information in, you get wrong answers out. People used to say “garbage in, garbage out.” The same can happen with our minds


If life feels messy, like rubbish, ask yourself: What untrue thoughts have I believed? Where did they come from? And have I dug deep enough to find the truth?

American writer Byron Katie says,

“I have never felt stressed without believing something that wasn’t true”


If we don’t see life as it really is, how can we handle it the right way?

But if we check our thoughts and make sure they are actually true, we can feel happier and more free.

One of the most important skills is knowing the difference between what’s real and what’s just an idea in our minds.

Feeling better doesn’t come from changing the world—it comes from understanding our own minds, our inside world, and questioning thoughts that might not be true.

Just like before a tsunami of doubt or loss arrives, still head for “higher ground” — to see the whole problem and check the truth of what you believe.

And don’t wait for an emotional tsunami to arrive. Actually practice your emotional safety plan.

If a thought bothers you, simply ask — Is it really, really true?

The better we get at this practice, the easier life can become !

Some documents have a section of what is called small print – SO HERE IS THIS WEBSITE’S SMALL PRINT

NEMA kindly allows us to add that … The content on the website has been reviewed by the National Emergency Management Agency and is consistent with the New Zealand emergency preparedness advice found on the Get Ready website.

Unfortunately no similar reference is available for authenticity of the mental wellbeing comments appearing here, so we asked Chat AI –

“If a person takes certain points into consideration, but from them forms a wrong belief that then develops into anxiety, depression or mental distress of some nature, and a counsellor then takes the person through a process of questioning the truth of the original thinking or belief, what is that process called in psychiatry terms?”

Chat AI reply – “Helping young people distinguish between their inner perceptions and outer realities” is referred to as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) in psychiatry. Specifically where a person can identify, question, and challenge distorted or irrational beliefs it may be referred to as cognitive restructuring or cognitive reframing.

In CBT, a person endeavours to recognise patterns of negative thinking (often called cognitive distortions) that contribute to anxiety, depression, and other forms of mental distress. The goal is to help assess whether beliefs or thoughts are based on evidence, whether they are overly generalized, or if they involve unrealistic or irrational thinking, and if so to develop more balanced and adaptive thought patterns.

Common cognitive distortions include –

• All-or-nothing thinking: Seeing things as black or white, with no middle ground.

• Catastrophising: Expecting the worst-case scenario.

• Overgeneralisation: Making broad conclusions based on a single event.

• Personalisation: Blaming oneself for things outside of one’s control.

By working through these thought patterns, the person can gain a more realistic and balanced perspective, leading to a reduction in emotional distress and improvements in mental health.

• And what this website seeks is the single attitude of fullest truth, as you are able to have with yourself – on as many levels as you  can think of – while you are OK, so it is a thinking habit which may reach in to help you when you are unwell – if it happens.