How To Identify Your Negative Thoughts

Most of us are familiar with the saying, ‘If you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.’ Our thoughts really do have that much power over our lives. What we believe about ourselves and our abilities greatly affects how we feel and how we behave.

If we think positive thoughts, we’ll feel more confident and capable and be more likely to take positive actions. On the other hand, if we focus on negative thoughts, we’ll feel more anxious and down on ourselves, and be less likely to take any action at all.

The first step to thinking more positively is to become aware of our negative thought patterns. We all have them, but sometimes they happen so automatically that we’re not even aware of them. Once we start paying attention to our thoughts, we can begin to question them and challenge their validity.

Here are some common negative thought patterns:

1. All-or-nothing thinking: This is when we see things as black or white, good or bad, with no middle ground. For example, ‘I didn’t get the job I wanted, so I’m a total failure.’

2. Overgeneralizing: This is when we make sweeping statements based on one single event. For example, ‘I didn’t do well on that test so I’m never going to succeed in school.’

3. Mind reading: This is when we assume we know what other people are thinking without any actual evidence. For example, ‘She’s always judging me and she thinks I’m a total loser.’

4. fortune telling: This is when we try to predict the future based on our current circumstances. For example, ‘I’m never going to find a better job so I might as well just give up now.’

5. Catastrophizing: This is when we blow things way out of proportion and imagine the worst possible outcome. For example, ‘I’m so embarrassed right now, I’ll never be able to show my face in public again.’

6. Personalization: This is when we take responsibility for things that are outside of our control or attributing our failures to personal flaws. For example, ‘It’s my fault that my team lost the game because I didn’t play well.’

7. Emotional reasoning: This is when we assume that our emotions must be true because we feel them so strongly. For example, ‘I feel like such a worthless person, so I must really be worthless.’

8. Labeling: This is when we label ourselves or others based on one single characteristic or event. For example, ‘I’m such a procrastinator,’ or ‘She’s such a bitch.’

Challenge Your Negative Thoughts

Negative thinking is a habit that can be difficult to break. But if you’re willing to put in the effort, it’s possible to change your thinking patterns and improve your life.

Here are some tips to help you challenge your negative thoughts:

1. Be aware of your thoughts. Pay attention to the things you tell yourself on a daily basis. Are they mostly negative or positive? If you find that you’re thinking negatively more often than not, it’s time to make a change.

2. Question your thoughts. Once you become aware of your negative thoughts, don’t just accept them as true. Ask yourself whether there’s any evidence to support them. If not, then they’re probably not worth paying attention to.

3. Choose positive thoughts instead. When you catch yourself thinking negatively, make a conscious effort to replace those thoughts with something positive. This may take some practice, but eventually it will become easier and second nature.

4. Practice gratitude. A great way to counter negative thinking is to focus on the things you’re grateful for in your life. Make it a habit to think about one thing you’re thankful for each day, and over time you’ll find it becomes easier to see the good in every situation.

5. Surround yourself with positive people. Another way to change your thinking patterns is to surround yourself with positive people. They can help provide support and encouragement when you’re feeling down, and their outlook on life can rub off on you over time.

Breaking the habit of negative thinking takes time and effort, but it’s worth it in the end. By making a conscious effort to think more positively, you can improve your mood, increase your resilience, and enjoy a better quality of life overall.