Breaking Away from Negative Thoughts

Negative thinking is the repetitive thoughts of negative things about yourself and your surroundings. These thoughts can keep you from enjoying an experience and may lead to problems such as social anxiety, depression and low self-esteem.

Most of us have experienced this, while negative thoughts are vital to our well-being and considered normal. It sometimes becomes a barrier that keeps us from enjoying the experience and focusing on what matters. So how do you break away from this chain of unwanted thoughts??

1. Recognize the negative thoughts?

As you recognize the thoughts coming in, you’ll be able to identify the patterns. Doing so makes it easier for you to break away from it. What are the distortions you need to watch out for? Among them are:

• Catastrophizing:??Assuming the worst to happen
• Overgeneralization:?Applying what happened in your previous experience to all future experiences
• Black and white thinking:?Seeing things as black and white only. It's either success or a failure, and there's no in between.
• Filter thinking:?Choosing to see the negative side of things or the situation
• Personalization and blame:??Taking things personally, that often leads to self-blame for something they cannot control.?

Dr. Daniel Siegel developed a technique called “Name it to tame it,” when a negative thought pattern arises, simply mentally ‘label’ them and see it as a thought only and let go of that thought.?

2. Focus on the good things

Research shows that feeling grateful significantly affects happiness. It gives positive emotions, relishes good experiences and builds strong relationships. In challenging situations, you can find things to be grateful for that would help elate your feelings and thoughts. Making a journal of things you’re thankful for is an excellent way of doing this.?

3. Self-Compassion over Self-Criticism

Self-compassion is the act of being understanding toward ourselves when we fail or feel inadequate rather than drowning ourselves with self-criticism. When we practice self-compassion, we become kinder to ourselves, making us more resilient to challenges and stress. When we treat ourselves the way we deserve to be treated, we don’t get hooked up by the negative thoughts, but we get empowered to overcome them.?

4. Seek out professional help and support

When things are getting harsh and seemingly unbearable, it never hurts to consult an expert and seek professional help. Especially when negative thoughts make it hard to function daily and meet your responsibilities, counseling and therapy can be an excellent help to improve and develop yourself in dealing with negative thoughts.

As much as we need positive thoughts, we also need negative thoughts. Tori Rodriguez, a psychotherapist, said, “without the negative, we cannot evaluate our experiences or experience a true sense of satisfaction.” But of course, all things come with moderation. Too many negative thoughts can hinder us from many things, so we have these reminders to help us cope. Ultimately, we all want to become a better version of ourselves.

Continue your self-development and growth with us. Explore things like opportunities with Quipper to get your mind off of those negative thoughts. Visit our career site at career.quipper.com/ph.