by Johna Hansen, L.C.S.W.
Among all of the other things that did not go according to my plans the other day, at one point I got stuck in traffic and became angry thinking “there should not be any traffic on this street!” and “these cars must move now!” Then I saw a sign that said “SPEED BUMP” and I started laughing. I realized life is full of speed bumps. After laughing at the speed bump sign, each time something else did not go according to plan I just laughed again and said “SPEED BUMP” and carried on.
As I thought further about laughing whenever I said “Speed bump”, I remembered that Albert Ellis created humorous songs that helped people to stop disturbing themselves. Therefore, I tried to take a stab at creating one to remind me to dispute my demands instead of ruminating on irrational beliefs and replace my shoulds and musts with a rational statement. I wrote the following lyrics to the tune of “Call Me Maybe”.
Dispute Your Demands
I threw my wish in the ditch
And only wanted to bitch
I felt angry ruminating
And now demands are in my way
Shoulds and Musts were holding
Angry mind
Skin was glowing
Hot night
Fumes were blowing
How do you think irrational beliefs are helping?
Hey just a minute
This may seem healthy
Stop demanding
So you can think straight
It’s not so hard to switch thoughts
Go on and try it
Dispute your demands
