If you're not a fan of being negative, you're not alone. In fact, studies have shown that most people tend to be positive thinkers.
But there are still times when we're faced with that pesky little voice in our head telling us all about the worst-case scenario or something bad that could happen any minute now. We call this phenomenon "negative thinking" and it's definitely not healthy for your mental health! So if you catch yourself thinking negatively more often than not, don't worry—there are ways to overcome these thoughts before they start taking control of your life (or at least get them under control). Here are some techniques for overcoming negative thinking:
Challenge negative thoughts when they occur
One of the most effective ways to stop negative thinking is to challenge your thoughts when they occur. The first step in this process is acknowledging that you are experiencing a negative thought. This can be difficult, as it requires you to be aware of your own internal experience.
Once you've identified and acknowledged the negative thought, ask yourself if it's true. If it isn't true, challenge yourself with questions like: "Am I absolutely sure about this?" or "How do I know for certain?" In many cases our thoughts are based on assumptions or beliefs rather than facts.
Next, ask yourself if the thought is helpful or unhelpful (or both). Sometimes our subconscious tries to tell us something that we don't want to hear by using negative thoughts as a way of drawing attention towards problems which need addressing. However, if these same thoughts are repeatedly used over time they can start becoming unhelpful and even harmful (for example: self-doubt can lead people into apathy). By questioning whether our thoughts are helping us make progress towards achieving goals then we can decide whether we should continue using them or not.
Keep a thought diary
Keep a thought diary.
Write down your negative thoughts and the positive thought that counters them.
Write down the day, time, and location of each negative thought occurrence.
Write down the date and time you corrected the negative thought in your mind or with what you said out loud to yourself.
Put your thoughts on trial
Here’s a trick to help you put your thoughts on trial:
Examine the evidence for and against your negative thought.
Ask yourself these questions:
What does my brain know about my situation? (The answer should be nothing, because brains aren’t capable of knowing anything.)
What do I think about this situation? (The answer should be whatever you’re thinking right now, which will invariably be inaccurate.)
Visualize your negative thoughts as a cloud or balloon you can let go of.
Imagine your negative thoughts as a cloud or balloon you can let go of. If you’re having trouble visualizing this, try imagining the thought as a physical object (like a balloon) that you can hold in your hand. Then imagine releasing it into the air and watching it float away until it disappears from view completely.
The idea behind this exercise is that by letting go of your negative thoughts, you free yourself from them and begin to focus on more positive things—like smiling at strangers on their way home from work!
Use Successive Approximation to change your negative thoughts into positive ones
It involves breaking down a problem into smaller and smaller parts, until you can easily solve it. This is one of the simplest methods I know of for helping yourself get past negative thoughts and feelings, especially when trying to change your thinking about yourself as well as others.
Successive approximation is also easy to learn; whereas some other techniques might require practice before they're effective (examples include cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness), successive approximation can be learned immediately by anyone who knows how to count down from one hundred by sevens or more (if not, then use this method instead).
Redirect your attention
When you start to feel yourself getting worked up, redirect your attention. Acknowledge that a negative thought is creeping in, but rather than focusing on it, find something positive about the situation. Focus on what you can do to solve the problem at hand. If your car breaks down, think about how much cheaper it will be when you fix it yourself instead of taking it to the mechanic! Focus on what's going well with your life and use that as fuel for positivity.
Focus on what happens next instead of all the bad things that have already happened. Don't worry about things like being late for work—focus instead on how awesome an interesting conversation with a co-worker is going to be when they finally arrive at the office! If this doesn't work, try thinking about all those times in your past when things went really well and think how much better they could've been if only you had seen them coming...
If nothing else works? Think about what you can control (which may not be much) but don't dwell on things outside of your control because worrying won't change anything anyway!
Reframe the situation
When you find yourself caught in negative thinking, try to reframe the situation. If you’re being too hard on yourself, ask yourself if this is true about every aspect of your life or just this one particular area. Is there a way to look at this as an opportunity for growth? Like many skills, learning how to overcome negative thoughts takes practice and patience.
Negative thinking is a problem, but there are ways to correct it. You can challenge your negative thoughts when they occur, keep a thought diary and put your thoughts on trial.
Visualize your negative thoughts as a cloud or balloon that you can let go of. Use Successive Approximation to change your negative thoughts into positive ones. Redirect your attention onto something else like music or nature before reframing the situation.
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