Your thoughts and values determine the way you see yourself and the world around you says cognitive theories. Thoughts and beliefs grounded in pessimism can negatively impact your impact your feelings, emotions, and mental health. These harmful perceptions are common issues that can contribute to the symptoms of mood and anxiety disorders. ( https://www.verywellmind.com/negative-thinking-patterns-and-beliefs-2584084)
Next time you catch yourself in an unhealthy thinking pattern use these 3 techniques to transfigure your brain habits into healthy thinking.
Write, Challenge & Change.
Writing down your negative thoughts get’s them outside of your body. This enables you to look at what you are thinking and challenge, or change it. For example, if you are thinking no one loves you, you are always rejected. Write it down. Then look at your thoughts. Are they actually true? Write down what is more true, and replace the negative thoughts with the truth. Another term for what I’ve described is “ replacing” thoughts. The idea of “replacing” thoughts might sound impossible. This is an incredibly effective way to train your mind. This strategy is rooted in the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which teaches you how to recognize and change negative thoughts and behavior patterns.
CBT is best accomplished with the help of a professional therapist, but here are some steps you can try on your own:
Notice your negative thought patterns and identify how you feel.
Acknowledge that this is a thinking pattern you’d like to change.
Think about what you want to be different (consider writing it down or saying it out loud to yourself for more impact).
Choose to replace negative patterns with a different behavior and/or thought process.
When your thoughts turn negative , write them down & let them go.
Writing your thoughts down, journaling, is a technique that enables you to understand how you are feeling without letting your thoughts control how you feel. Have you ever written a heated email, or letter to someone only to find that once you are completed, you feel you shouldn’t nor do you need to send it. The act of writing your feelings down on paper, allowed you to experience the feelings, and then let them go.
Learn to treat yourself with kindness.
Learn to be a good friend to yourself. Many of us can be kind to other people, but when it comes to ourselves, we are harsh and unaccepting. I’ve seen so many people who are great friends to others, but talk about self in a negative critical way. I challenge you to learn to be a good friend to yourself by doing these 2 things:
Periodically ask yourself is this how I would treat my friends? Should I be treating myself with more kindness right now?
Time it, Note it & Move on. Give yourself a time limit on negativity. Only allow yourself to have negative thoughts of yourself, or comments for a few minutes a day and that’s it. Draw the line there. Move on to more positive thinking.
Last, know you are not alone and you don’t have to do it alone.
I’d love to help you in your process of overcoming negative thinking patterns. At True Life Counseling, I meet you where you are at, and help you explore where you want to be going. Natalie Teeters, MS Psychotherapist