negative thinking is a much more common problem than you might think. Many of us experience them every day. That's why it's important to understand what they are, where they come from, and how you can overcome them. Negative thoughts are thoughts that essentially cause us to take a pessimistic viewpoint. Negative thinking forces us to focus on the worst aspects and possible outcomes of a given situation instead of positives. This negative thinking can lead to a lot of stress, anxiety and sadness as long as we continue to accept these thoughts. Here are some examples of some common negative thought patterns: I won't try to chase my dreams because I only know a few people to do it. I'm not going to be one of those people, so why even try. I would like to take on a new role at work, but will I even be able to handle it? If I try and fail, people can only see me as a failure. This can make your life at work more difficult and less satisfying. I would like to give presentations like this person. But I just don't know how to perform in front of an audience, and that scares me. I just don't write it in the stars for me. It's not one of my talents and I can't get over my fear. If you can relate to any of these thoughts, then this article might be exactly what you were looking for.
What Causes Negative Thinking?
Negative thinking is mostly a consequence of fear. Nobody likes the feeling of fear, and very few of us enjoy facing our fears. But fear is the source of our negative thinking. Fear paralyzes us and prevents us from deciding what we really want in life as we try to avoid negative consequences. For many, this is one big fear of the unknown. When we don't know, or we can't predict the outcome of a situation, we decide to play it safe. This often leads to the adoption of a pessimistic point of view. While this negative thinking may allow us to avoid our fears, such as preventing us from getting on stage and giving a speech, it will keep us from reaching our full potential. In the long run, this often leads to more frustration and more regret than taking a more optimistic point of view and taking the risk of applying more positive thoughts. That is why it is so important to be aware of what frightens us and interferes with it negatively affects our consciousness in this way. So what are the negative thoughts people have? This is a difficult concept because each of us is unique. This means that one situation that can cause a person to enter into negative thinking may actually cause another person to take a positive thought approach. Consider, for example, we have two nations. One spent his entire training life to be an athlete and never studied a day in his life, while the other person spent his entire life studying and never took advantage. If we have these two compete at a sporting event, who do you think would be more likely to adopt a positive mindset? Also, if we were to have these two compete at a trivia event, who might be more inclined towards making a positive picture thought? My point of view here is that what causes negative thoughts in the head is subjective. This will change. That being said, there are some common fears, so here are some of the more common negative thoughts: I'm not good enough to achieve this goal, so I guess there's no point in even trying. Besides, if I try and fail then people will think I'm a loser. I can't be as good as him/her at this, they are so naturally talented. Even if I try I won't be that good. Unfortunately, I do not have what you need. I wish I could be as good looking as those movie stars and models. Then people would like me and be super popular.
How to stop negative thinking
Finding ways to challenge negative thinking is not easy, not easy. It takes careful planning, patience, and a good amount of effort to truly master your thinking. However, finding ways to overcome negative thinking is truly satisfying. It's funny how we try to overcome our negative thought patterns, the very negative thinking hinders our progress. Again, we must be patient and keep a positive attitude. Life develops any skill, it will take time and practice. The first step to overcoming negative thinking is to understand your thoughts, what causes negative thinking for you - is it a person, a place, a particular experience? Take note of them. These findings will allow us to recognize negative thought patterns in our lives. The next step is to create a plan to help you deal with your negative thinking in these circumstances. Once you've created a plan that you think will work for you, it's time to try it out. Then it will be an ongoing process of tweaking this plan as you move forward to figure out what strategies are best to help you overcome your negative thoughts. Here are 7 powerful ways you should start trying:
1. Don't try to stop your negative thoughts in general
I'm sure you've heard the saying that what you focus on becomes your reality. This is the idea behind my next item. If you spend most of your time thinking about how to stop your negative thoughts all the time, what do you think your task will be? Your thoughts will always be on your negative thoughts, of course! This will only increase your anxiety and make you feel worse. The more you focus on your negative thoughts, the more likely it is to have an impact on you and your daily work. Your goal, then, is not to completely eliminate your negative thoughts, but to be able to recognize them more effectively so that you can deal with them when they arise! Simply saying that you never have negative thoughts will not help you overcome your negative thoughts. It can only serve you as a short term strategy. This is because no matter how hard you try, you will at some point have negative thoughts. And if you don't take the time to develop your systems to overcome this negative thinking, then it will start to take over you.
2. Understand Your Thinking Style
If you can understand your thoughts, you can begin to control the results they have on you. So take a moment to appreciate how you are thinking now. Do you tend to be optimistic or do you tend to have a more negative point of view? Do you approach the situation positively or negatively? These are the types of questions you can ask yourself to help shed light on your thinking styles. If you have determined that you have a negative approach to your thinking style, think about why this might be. Do you tend to take negative thoughts in certain situations over others? Is there a particular event, situation, person or place that causes negative thinking for you all the time? Once you have identified the source of your negative thoughts, the next step is to start putting in a plan to solve the problem!
3. Challenge Your Negative Thoughts
Once you have identified your common negative thoughts, try to find ways that you can start to challenge them. Ask yourself if the thoughts you are having are realistic. Are they true descriptions of the situation? Or, are your fears and negative attitudes causing your negative thoughts to be exaggerated? Supported would you think if someone else it was? For example, if your closest friend said they would never be good enough to make that next promotion, would you back that up? Or, would you like to step in and remind them how great they are? Start using these strategies for your own thinking as well. Do not let your negative thoughts pass freely.
4. Let go of your judgments
It's just the reality of being human that we all make assumptions, prejudices, and make judgments about others based on our experience. This is one of the foundations for phenomena such as stereotypes and discrimination. But this comparison of ourselves with others can also serve as a method by which we put ourselves down. When we set goals for ourselves, we tend to look at people who have already achieved those goals. We look and think about how much better they are than us. Why they were able to achieve this goal and why we will never be able to. These negative thoughts get into your head and drag us down. So try to let go of these types of judgments where you compare yourself to others. You will feel free when you finally reach it. The best way I've found to do this is to start by reflecting more consciously on your thinking. Understand where this negative thinking stems from within you that the stereotypes, assumptions and prejudices you have are preventing you from generating these negative thoughts in your life. Then find ways to change that line of thinking.
5. Learn to deal with criticism
While there is absolutely nothing wrong with standing up and defending ourselves in certain situations, we can all do better receivers of rebukes, especially if they serve a constructive purpose. A lot of negative thinking can happen when someone criticizes us. We start focusing only on the negative things they say. We come up with reasons why we're not good enough. This is something that can be easily avoided if you learn to deal with criticism. One way I've been able to do this is by looking at criticism as features rather than flaws. If someone says that I write without emotion, it does not mean that I am a bad writer, it just means that I need to focus on that aspect of my writing to develop it further. This criticism gave me the opportunity to become a good writer. If you want some tips on how to do this, read this article: Why Criticism is Better Than Praise
6. Focus on your strengths
I'm sure if you think for a moment the comments that you remember people about you are mostly negative. This is because as humans, we tend to focus on the negative and come out with the positives in our lives. We live on our mistakes and shortcomings, brushing aside our successes and positive traits. So try to shift your focus. This can go a long way in helping you overcome your negative thoughts. The more you shift your focus of your mentality to the positive things in your life, the easier it will be for you to think and act positively! How to Focus on Your Strengths, Not Your Weaknesses)) Try to write some positive things about yourself now as an exercise. Then the next time you find yourself thinking negatively about yourself, either pull those positive statements or write some new ones! If you think you might need help with this, take a look at this article: How to Become Successful 10x Easier: Don't Focus on Improving Your Failure
7. Seek Professional Support When Needed
The last thing I will mention about negative thinking is that you should never, at any time, feel the need to take it on. If your negative thinking becomes overwhelming or interferes with your daily activities at any time, recognize that you need help to beat it. Feel free to ask for help if you need it. There are a lot of people who are ready and willing to help you. These props change lives. So if you feel that you could benefit from them, make sure you take advantage of them!
Final Thoughts
Negative thinking is nothing that someone has to constantly be exposed to. You deserve to be happy. Understanding the root of negative thinking is the first step to overcoming it. So use the strategies mentioned above and stop letting those thoughts hold you back from moving forward!
More positive thinking
- How to Stop Automatic Negative Thoughts When You're Overwhelmed
- 5 steps to cultivate a positive attitude towards life
- Why negative emotions aren't so bad (and how to deal with them)