This article discusses some of the steps you’re free to take to change your negative thoughts.
It is the practice of detaching yourself from your thoughts and emotions and viewing them as an outside observer.
Practicing mindfulness can help you become more conscious of your thoughts and build greater self-awareness.
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They don’t control you.
Rachel Goldman, PhD
Become aware of how your thoughts are impacting your emotions and behaviors.
Ask yourself if this thought is helpful?
What purpose is the thought serving you?
How does the thought make you feel?
It’s been theorized that the practice of mindfulness may facilitate the ability to use thoughts more adaptively.
Identify Your Negative Thoughts
As you observe your thoughts, work on identifying and labelingcognitive distortionsand negativity.
Other negative thinking patterns include:
Unhelpful thinking patterns differ in subtle ways.
But they all involve distortions of reality and irrational ways of looking at situations and people.
Goldman suggests that this step is all about identifying and labeling negative thoughts.
Just observe it and label it.
She also suggests pausing to accept the thought for what it is.
Remind yourself that it’s just a thought andnot a fact.
Recap
There are many different types of cognitive distortions that contribute to negative thinking.
Are You a Pessimist?
This process helps you to identify andchange negative thoughtsinto more helpful and adaptive responses.
Goldman suggests examining the evidence that either supports or contradicts the thought.
Doing this can help you challenge negative thinking and explore alternatives that are more helpful and realistic.
Sometimes we are overly focused on negative things in life and overlooking the abundance of blessings that we have.
you’re free to also look for the silver lining so to speak.
If the replacement thoughts are not realistic, they won’t be helpful.
A helpful technique could be to ask yourself what would you say to a friend in this situation.
Avoid Thought-Stopping Techniques
Thought-stopping is the opposite of mindfulness.
It is the act of being on the lookout for negative thoughts and insisting that they be eliminated.
This is known as thought rebounding.
Experts believe that the thought rebounding that takes place after trying to stop negative thoughts is much more damaging.
Instead, psychologists generally recommend finding ways to deal with negative thoughts more directly.
Mindfulness is preferable because you are not fighting your thoughts.
These skills are then transferred to the real world through homework assignments.
Most CBT treatment plans will involve the use of a thought diary as part of regularhomework assignments.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are negative thoughts?
Everyone has negative thoughts sometimes.
They can affect your mood and behavior, and can be present in certain mental health conditions.
Examples of negative thoughts include:
What are negative thoughts called by psychologists?
Negative thoughts are sometimes referred to ascognitive distortions.
Why do I have negative thoughts?
Negative thoughts are quite common, and everyone does it from time to time.
However, there can be many underlying variables that make it worse.
Sometimes it may be necessary to talk to a mental health professional.
Goldman likes to remind her clients that the process of changing negative thoughts isn’t a quick fix.
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