Training the Mind: Raising Resilient Kids

Aloha Friends,

We live in a world where feelings are often treated as truth.

Children are encouraged to “speak their truth,” “follow their heart,” and “feel all the feels”—often without learning how to filter or test those feelings against what is true. While emotions are God-given and important, unrestrained emotions can lead to confusion, anxiety, and even despair.

How can we help young people to filter their emotions and feelings in a godly way?

I recently learned about something called "Thought Distancing" and it's helping me to reframe my own thoughts and emotions (Joshua).

Thought distancing is a psychological strategy that can be a powerful tool when applied with a biblical worldview. The intention is not to suppress what children feel, but to teach them how to observe their thoughts and emotions without being ruled by them.

It is the practice of recognizing thoughts as just that—thoughts, not always facts. It's the ability to say, “I’m having this thought, but that doesn’t make it true.”

Key Concepts of Thought Distancing:

1. Observing without judgment

2. You recognize a thought as a mental event—not as truth or a command.

3. Creating space between you and your thoughts

4. Instead of thinking, “I’m a failure,” you might say, “I’m having the thought that I’m a failure.” That small shift reduces the power of the thought.

5. Disempowering intrusive or unhelpful thoughts

6. It weakens automatic reactions to thoughts like fear, anxiety, shame, or hopelessness.

7. Increases self-awareness and control

8. By noticing and naming your thoughts, you create room to choose how to respond rather than react impulsively.

This echoes 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV):

“We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

God calls us to submit our inner world to His truth, not be enslaved by it.

Why It Matters Now More Than Ever

• Post-pandemic anxiety and depression have skyrocketed among youth.

• Social media amplifies emotions with little time for reflection.

• Identity confusion and mental health struggles are often rooted in untested thoughts and feelings.

Teaching thought distancing helps children:

• Recognize lies before they take root.

• Pause before reacting.

• Build spiritual and emotional discernment.

• Strengthen identity in Christ rather than in fluctuating emotions.

You can add this to your parenting or personal strategy to help you and your family to grow in emotional intelligence. Look out for next week’s email where we offer practical ways to apply this strategy to take thoughts captive.

God bless you,

The Explicit Movement Team