How Do You Deal With Negative Thoughts?

The way you deal with negative thoughts affects how you perceive and interpret events in your environment. It also affects your behavior in certain situations. For example, if you keep thinking that you will do poorly at your interview, it is very possible that because of your insecurity, it will in fact be.

Aaron Temkin Beck, an American psychiatrist, points out that negative thoughts sabotage the best of ourselves. If we don’t know how to control them, they only create insecurity, fear and anger, which automatically lead to new negative thoughts. A vicious circle that affected people can hardly escape.

The negativity keeps getting bigger, like with the snowball effect. But how can we stop them?

Dealing with negative thoughts: a way of communication

The communication with ourselves, in other words the inner language or simply our thoughts, is nothing more than a self-talk that influences the way we perceive the world and how we deal with it. It’s also very insightful about how we treat ourselves.

Our inner world is very multifaceted. Positive and negative thoughts alternate, but the tendency towards negativity is pre-programmed. It is therefore not surprising that most people concentrate more on negative things and are strongly influenced by them.

Treating yourself badly has the same effects as when others treat you badly. How do you feel when someone close to you keeps telling you how clumsy and useless you are? And what happens when you are that person yourself? The negative comments can develop into obsessive thoughts that drain your energy. 

Identify your negative thoughts

You are often not aware of your own thoughts. You may even think at times that your ideas are true even though they by no means correspond to reality. We therefore recommend that you  write down recurring thoughts on paper so that  you can identify them and analyze them better.

Then get to the bottom of the origins. Ask yourself what motives make you think about it over and over again. What are the consequences of the constant carousel of thought? What advice would you give to a loved one in this situation? If you look at the situation from a new perspective, you are more likely to find a solution. 

Once you’ve identified your negative thoughts, you need to learn  to accept them. They are necessary in some situations, you shouldn’t just suppress them or try to block them. Because then they will keep popping up, especially in difficult situations.

Rearrange your thoughts

Try to steer your destructive thoughts in a new direction. Be realistic and answer the following questions to identify positive opportunities:

• How could I interpret the situation differently?
• Which positive aspects can be seen?
• Are my thoughts logical and realistic?

Rephrase your thoughts and make a list of positive things. Question each belief and find alternatives that are just as true,  but encourage your optimism. See your negative thoughts from a different angle that will help you turn them into an opportunity.

Remember, however, that dealing with negative thoughts properly takes time, practice, and perseverance.

Improve your self-esteem

A low self-esteem can lead to negative thoughts due to insecurity and a feeling of low self-efficacy. Constant self-doubt doesn’t help you, on the contrary: It acts like a magnet on negative thoughts.

Which self-concept influences your inner world and how does it affect your thoughts? Listen to your negative thoughts just like listening to a loved one. Exercise patience, show affection, and try to respond rationally and positively. In this way, you can disarm possible cognitive biases that shape your beliefs and behaviors.