5 Ways to Overcome Negative Thoughts
Those pesky ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) can be annoying. Dealing with them can seem impossible at the moment. Our critic is convincing. As a licensed lifestyle therapist, I will give you tips to overcome them in 5 different ways.
1. Thought Stopping/Thought Replacement
The easiest way to overcome negative thoughts is stopping the thought, then thinking the positive thoughts. We often refer to this coping skill to as thought stopping and thought replacement. People will say to just do thought stopping. For some, that’s not enough. That’s when replacing the negative thoughts with positive ones becomes important.
2. Distraction
When your thoughts are too much, getting out of your head can be calming. Distraction is anything that gets you out of your head. We use this skill long enough to process them or until you can replace them. You use these skills for distracting in the moment rather than avoidance long term.
A few examples include:
Videogames
Movies
TV Shows
Podcast
Exercise
Walking
Breathing Exercises
Mediation/Guided Imagery
Hobby/Craft
3.Thought Journal
Journaling overall is an excellent coping skill for some. Thought journaling can be freeing. It allows you to get thoughts out of your head and on paper. The key is to just write. Don’t judge your thoughts or try to make sense of anything. Just write.
You can take the journal with you to therapy. If you are like me, you forget things that bothered you or came up for you throughout the week, so a journal helps with that. Your therapist to help you process the negative thoughts from your journal so they don’t come up as often or at all.
4. Challenge Your Thoughts
Your thoughts are just thoughts. Challenging them to determine if they are facts or opinion takes power out of your thoughts. You get to interrogate your thoughts and find out their true intentions. It’s just asking a bunch of questions to see if your thoughts are true or valid.
Here are some questions to ask:
Am I confusing a thought with a fact?
What would a friend say about this?
Am I jumping to conclusions?
What percentage will this happen?
Will this help me or hurt me?
What are the pros and cons of these thoughts?
What would I tell someone who told me they had these thoughts?
Will this matter in 5 years?
What is the worst that could happen?
Am I blaming myself for something that isn’t my fault (fully or partly)?
What is the evidence it’s true?
What is the evidence it’s false?
How many times has this happened before?
Am I taking something personally?
Am I expecting myself to be perfect?
These are just a few questions. There are so many more questions you can ask yourself to challenge your thoughts. The major key is determining if these thoughts are true or things our critic wants us to believe.
Physical Wellness
Our overall wellness affects our thoughts. Things like sleep, food, and exercise can make or break our
negative thoughts and our ability to overcome them. Holistic approaches are increase our chances of
success when changing our lives.
Sleep
Sleep health is essential to brain function. When we aren’t sleeping well, we decrease our mental
functions. This decrease lessens our ability to fight our internal or external critics. You can increase your
sleep health by having nightly routines, limiting electronics before bed, and sleeping with cool
temperatures.
Exercise
Exercise releases endorphins that increase mood. Bettering our mood leads to more positive thoughts
than negative ones. Exercise can also help with distractions when we are in our head too much. It can
help us let go of thoughts. It can also get us to be social, which can quiet the inside critic.
Food
Food is life. Food is medicine. Fuel your body with the best nutrient you can so that you have a glowing
nature inside and out. Whole food plant-based lifestyle is one that gives you the best nutrients and sets
your entire body up for success. Keeping it simple with only shopping the produce section.
For some of us, we center our negative thoughts on food, which can be difficult. Remember don’t judge
yourself. Its best to ask yourself, will this fuel me or harm me? Oily food such as French fries does more
harm to our arteries than having air fried homemade fries.
When These Don’t Work
Remember, thoughts are just thoughts. Don’t judge yourself for having them. Overcoming them may
need all the tools at one time or just one. Each situation is unique. Please reach out to someone or a
professional when the thoughts are too much. There is help. For a free consultation, you can reach me
here.
Disclaimer: This is in no way a replacement for a therapeutic relationship or substance abuse/mental health services. This is for educational purposes only and should be in used only in conjunction in working with a licensed mental health professional. Reading this blog or responding to it does not constitute a provider-patient relationship. If you are looking for a local mental health professional feel free to use the contact tab to request an appointment or search Mental Health Match, Therapy Den, or Psychology Today for local therapists in your area. If this is a mental health or substance abuse emergency and you need immediate assistance, please call 911, call 988, go to your local ER, visit your local detox center, or call 211 if you are in Oklahoma.