Everyone has negative thoughts from time to time.Problems can be caused by excess of negative thinking.Negative thoughts can affect many areas of our wellbeing.
Step 1: Negative thoughts can have a purpose.
Negative thoughts are meant to be beneficial, even though they can cause you to feel inadequate.Some psychologists believe that a dose of pessimism can be good for us because it makes us think and reflect when things aren't going well.You are not alone if you are having negative thoughts.A lot of our thoughts are negative.Human beings might have negative thinking in their makeup.We try to make our environment better like our ancestors.When we start to think that the negative thoughts are true, this process becomes a problem.
Step 2: Negative thoughts can be a problem.
If your negative thoughts are affecting your behavior or interfering with your daily life, you should seek the help of a mental health professional.If you expect things to go wrong, your problems may get worse.The cycle of having an expectation or thought of a situation that creates a new behavior that makes the expectation of the situation true is called the self-fulfilling prophecy.You think you will fail the test in English tomorrow.You don't want to study for the test because you think you will fail.You fail the test.The long term consequences of this are starting to think that you are stupid or a bad test taker, which leads to more problems with test taking.
Step 3: There are different types of negative thoughts.
There are many different forms of negative thinking.Being aware of these forms can help you to counteract a negative thought.There are some common types of negative thoughts that you may be dealing with.It's when you don't pay attention to any positive aspects of a situation.If you passed a very difficult course with a C+, you might think to yourself, "I am a mediocre student." Black and white thinking is when you refuse to see gray areas and make all or nothing judgements.When you get a B- on a test, you might think to yourself, "I am a failure." Overgeneralization is when you assume that something will happen again.If you get a B- on a test when you were hoping for an A, you might think to yourself, "I will always get B minuses on my tests."When you get a B- on a test, you might think to yourself, "The teacher thinks I am dumb." Catastrophizing is when you think the worst is going to happen.If you think to yourself, "I am going to get the lowest grade in the class!" thenPersonalization is when you believe you have had an effect on situations or events.If your boss yells at you all of the time, you might think to yourself, "It's my fault that my boss yelled at me." Control Fallacy is when you feel that you have no control.You might think to yourself, "nothing I do will help me to get an A on my math test."You might think to yourself, "I got a B- on my math test because life is not fair." Blaming is believing other people are responsible for your emotions.You might think to yourself, "Susie is the reason why I am sad all of the time."Fallacy of Change is when you believe that other people need to change for you to be happy.You might think to yourself, "I will never be happy until Susie changes her attitude."You might think to yourself, "I am unreliable" if you forget to study for a test.
Step 4: To understand what motivates your negative thoughts, keep a thought record.
Journaling about your negative thoughts can help you understand them.Write down an event you wish had gone differently or you think you could have handled it better.You can track your feelings about the event as well.You can record something like, "I did poorly on the English test."It reminded me of another time that I failed a test, so I was anxious before the test.
Step 5: Pick out your automatic thoughts.
You should also keep a record of your automatic thoughts.These are the thoughts that come to your mind.They seem to happen without warning.For example, you might have an automatic thought like, "I am stupid, I am a disappointment, and I will never succeed in life."
Step 6: What type of thoughts are you having?
Determine what category your thoughts fall into by considering the most common types of negative thoughts.identify the type of thoughts you are having and label them as such in your thought recordBlack and White Thinking is when you think to yourself, "I am stupid," because you are ignoring things that you do well.
Step 7: Do you know what your underlying concerns are?
You will need to become more aware of assumptions and beliefs associated with negative thoughts in order to deal with them.Think about the concerns that might be driving a negative thought.It is important to understand the motivation for your negative thoughts as this process may make you feel uncomfortable.A negative thought could be something like, "I am stupid." The motivation for this thought might be related to your intelligence and natural abilities.
Step 8: Take a look at the root cause of your negative thoughts.
Negative thoughts are related to a belief or assumption.It is important to find the root of the belief or assumption in order to break it down.Consider the role of your parents and teachers in developing your belief in you if you have the thoughts about failing tests.Do your teachers tell you that you won't be successful in life if you fail tests?
Step 9: Challenge your thoughts.
Challenges to your thoughts can help you understand them.When you are aware of your negative thoughts, this technique can be used.The goal of challenging negative thoughts is to realize that most of them are just a reaction to something.Do you know if the thought is true?How do you know if the thought is true?What are the facts?How do you deal with the negative thoughts?What do you think about it?How would the thoughts not change your behavior?
Step 10: Positive change can be identified.
It is possible to find areas for positive change in your life.If your negative thoughts are connected to certain things in your life, ask yourself if it's because of work, a relationship, or physical health.If you want to improve the situation, start with one of those areas.Think of things you can change about your job.It is possible that you will still need to work long hours, but perhaps you are taking on too much.Reducing unnecessary tasks is one way to improve time management.You can teach yourself stress-reduction techniques.
Step 11: Addressing your thoughts out loud is beneficial.
Addressing your negative thoughts out loud can help you deal with them.Positive self-talk can change your perspective and help you to become less critical of yourself over time.
Step 12: As negative thoughts occur, frame them.
Do not allow a negative thought to go by without reframing it as positive.It will become easier as time goes on and you will begin to develop a more positive outlook.If you have a negative thought, turn it into a positive one.Force yourself to say, "I am never going to lose weight."By changing a negative thought into a hopeful one, you are forcing yourself to focus on a positive part of the situation.
Step 13: Point out that your thoughts are not reality.
If you point out that your thoughts are only thoughts and that they do not reflect you, you can deal with your negative thoughts.If you have a thought, repeat it to yourself.Make sure you label the thought as a thought when you repeat it.If you think of yourself as a failure, acknowledge that it is just a thought."I'm having the thought that I am a failure" is how you can acknowledge that it is just a thought.
Step 14: Do you know the motivation behind your negative thoughts?
Sometimes your thoughts have a purpose.Sometimes your mind is trying to protect you from bad things.These thoughts will still bother you.You will have to take a different approach to address these types of thoughts.One way to deal with negative thoughts is to thank your mind out loud.You may think, "I'm going to be late for work because of this traffic jam and my boss will yell at me.""Thank you, mind, in this case," you can say.There's nothing you need to do right now, thank you for looking out for my best interests.
Step 15: Pick out your stories.
Negative thoughts can be made less disruptive if you label them according to their story.You may have a variety of different thoughts that all boil down to the same basic meaning.Take a look at the patterns of your negative thoughts.This can allow you to let them go.You can say to yourself, "Oh, this is my story, I'm a terrible employee." if you tend to say "I am bad at my job."This way of framing a thought will remind you that you often have these types of thoughts.
Step 16: Turn your thoughts into music.
Sometimes you can correct a negative thought by making a joke out of it.You may be able to get rid of your negative thoughts by singing.It is possible to turn your negative thoughts into a song by using the tune of a familiar song.You can say your thoughts out loud in a funny voice if you don't feel like singing.
Step 17: Accept that you will have some negative thoughts.
Negative thoughts are caused by anxiety and not by who you are as a person.Wishing away your negative thoughts will make the situation worse.Practice and time can help reduce negative thoughts.You can control how your thoughts affect you if you get into the practice of examining them.
Step 18: Positive activities can distract you.
Keeping busy can give you less time to think and remind you of the things you enjoy.Try something new, or look for activities that you enjoy.Go for a jog and you can reduce stress through physical activity.A park is a great place to take a walk.You can watch a movie, read a book or listen to a radio show.Spending time with a friend, family member, or social community is a good way to spend time.Staying connected with other people can help you feel more positive.
Step 19: Don't forget to take care of yourself.
Taking care of yourself can help you deal with negative thoughts.Eating well, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly can help you feel better.Make sure that you eat well, sleep well and get regular exercise to feel your best.A balanced diet includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean meat.Junk food and excess sugar can be avoided.You should get between 7 and 8 hours of sleep per night.This is only a recommendation for adults.Some people need more than 8 hours of sleep per night.30 minutes of exercise three times a week.A 30-minute walk or two 15-minute stroll can be counted.
Step 20: Positive daily Affirmations can be used to build yourself up.
Positive dailyAffirmations can help you deal with the negative emotions that come with negative thoughts.Say something encouraging to yourself when you look in the mirror a few times a day.If you want to believe in yourself, you can either say something or not.Positive Affirmations include: I am intelligent, caring friend, and people enjoy spending time with me.
Step 21: When you make a mistake, forgive yourself.
Forgiveness is an important part of learning how to deal with negative thoughts.You need to learn how to forgive yourself if you are dealing with negative thoughts that are related to your mistakes.If you learn how to forgive yourself when you make mistakes, you will be able to silence your inner critic.If you make a mistake, take a deep breath and try not to think negatively.Say something like, "I made a mistake, but that doesn't make me a bad person."
Step 22: Congratulate yourself for the small victories.
When you do something well, it's a good idea to remind yourself of things that you have done well in the past.Giving yourself a pat on the back will help you to stay focused on your positive qualities and stop dwelling on negative thoughts and feelings.Pick one positive thing that happened and congratulate yourself, instead of dwelling on what happened at school.You could say, "You did an awesome job in gym class today!"