We spend majority of our time worrying about the future, replaying past events, and focusing on the discontent, dissatisfied aspect of life. Negative and unwanted can disrupt and dysfunction our well-being and functioning. These can also serve as a causal factor for mood and anxiety disorders.
Here are few steps that can be taken to deal with negative thoughts:
Recognise the distorted thinking patterns
Our brain is clever and persistent to convince us and make us believe in things which are not facts. The inaccurate thoughts reinforce negative which affects our emotions and our behaviours.
Here is some of the distorted thinking
- Black and white thinking
- Filter thinking
- Catastrophizing
- Personalising
- Overgeneralization
- Polarised thinking
- Discounting
- I should statements
Challenge negative thoughts
Every time you get a distorted idea, pause to consider its accuracy. Consider your reaction if a friend made such a statement about herself. You would most likely provide a persuasive argument against their unfavourable opinion. Using the same reasoning, examine your own ideas. Consider whether you are blaming yourself for something that has not gone the way you intended it to or whether you are expecting the worst. After that, consider additional scenarios or explanation for why something might not have gone as planned.
Take a break from negative thoughts
Give your negative ideas a rest. One can acquire the skill of distancing oneself from pessimistic ideas. Giving oneself a specific length of time—perhaps five minutes—to think about the idea is one method to accomplish this. After then, give it some space and carry on with your day.
Your judgement on the thoughts
We all make unconscious judgments about others and ourselves. Dissatisfaction results from comparing our lives to some ideal or to other people all the time. You will probably feel more at ease if you are able to let go of judgment—which is not simple, but it is achievable. A few strategies to avoid thinking judgmental thoughts are to acknowledge and then let go of your own response. A further useful strategy is to “positive judge.” Seek out the positive aspects of things as well, if you catch yourself passing judgment on someone, yourself, or a circumstance.
Focus on the strength
Humans tend to focus on the negative and ignore the good. It will be simpler to feel good about whom you are and the path your life is heading the more you can practice living in the present moment and concentrating on your strengths rather than regretting past failures. Consider something positive about yourself for a moment if you catch yourself having negative ideas about your character or behavior.
Seek mental health support
If you find it difficult to control your thoughts or that they are getting in the way of your capacity to enjoy life or fulfill your daily obligations, get expert help. Therapy and counseling can lessen emotional pain, help you grow as a person, and assist you navigate life’s transitions.
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