Do you ever think “I’m a complete failure” and then “But he’s perfect”? Black-and-white thinking, also known as all-or-nothing thinking, results in oversimplifying things in this way – rather than seeing things in shades of grey. Do you always focus on the negative and play down the positive? For example, do you give a presentation at work and get great feedback – yet only focus on the one, small slip-up you made, that no one else even noticed? For example, do you think “She’s late home from work – what if she’s had a terrible accident”? These negative thoughts are often “what ifs”. What’s the worst that could happen? Do you find yourself jumping to the worst case scenario? When we catastrophise, we predict a negative outcome without seeing the whole picture. Watch out for the following unhelpful thinking styles, or ‘thinking traps’: Since they’re often automatic, this can be tricky. In order to break out of negative thinking, the first step is to recognise your negative thoughts. How to break out of negative thinking – recognise your negative thoughts This cycle can lead to anxiety and even panic attacks. Negative thoughts feed negative feelings – which reinforce our belief that the negative thought is true, and leads to more negative thinking. What starts out as one negative thought can snowball. That’s why it’s so important to question negative thoughts – to see whether they’re based on facts and reality or not. However, just because we have a thought doesn’t mean it’s true. This tends to happen when we have few distractions – which is why lying awake at night churning things over in our mind is a familiar feeling to many.Īt the time, negative thoughts may seem completely rational and logical. Spiraling negative thoughts can be a result of overthinking. And when we’re anxious we tend to worry about the worst happening. When we’re down, we tend to think more negatively. How we feel also influences the way we think. They’re often habitual and automatic, and we’re unaware that they’re even happening – which can make them hard to spot. Everyone experiences negative thoughts – about themselves, other people, the future or just the world in general. We have tens of thousands of thoughts a day – and, according to one study, 80% of them are negative! So if you have negative thoughts, you’re perfectly normal. The good news is that you can learn how to stop negative thoughts in their tracks – and replace them with more helpful, positive ones. Then they can escalate, and lead to anxiety. But they become a problem when we believe them. We all have negative thoughts, and they’re not necessarily a problem in themselves. 30 June 2020.Do you experience negative thoughts such as: “I’m worthless”, “Nobody likes me”, “Things won’t ever get better”, “I can’t cope with this”, or “I’m going to end up alone”? Negative thoughts often pop into our heads automatically, uninvited. Instead of thinking "I am not good enough," you could think, "I am enough." X Expert Source Sydney AxelrodĬertified Life Coach Expert Interview. Once you're conscious of your negative beliefs, you have the power to change them.Fight bad thoughts head on: If you keep saying “I am too dumb,” recognize the many things you do know with positive affirmations like “I know how to fix cars,” “I can cook,” or “I am intelligent.”. ![]() Make a list of your positive attributes and put it somewhere you can see it daily, like on your desk or bathroom mirror.Practice saying “I am.” and following it with something you love about yourself, such as “I am smart,” “I am good at my job,” or “I am a loving part of my family.” X Research source Negative thoughts (self-deprecating, unworthiness, etc.) can be helped with positive affirmations. Positive affirmation is taking the time to recognize that you are happy, healthy, and have a sense of self-worth. Practice positive affirmation to fight persistent, nasty thoughts.
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