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Break Negative Thinking Patterns With These 5 Steps!
- Fernando Albert
How to stop anxiety thoughts: Start shifting your life with these 5 steps for breaking Negative Thinking Patterns. You need to start improving your well-being right now if you are experiencing distorted thinking. You too can regain control and be a lot happier and full of positivity.
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Take these 5 steps for breaking Negative Thinking Patterns
Hello! I hope you are feeling fantastic, but if you don't, give yourself a sound healing treatment, and you will see how awesome it is! It has been a while since I wanted to share more about Negative Thinking Patterns and give you 5 steps for you to start to break this loop. I hope not, but I bet that you, too, have a hard time with negative thinking. It is unfortunate, but most people, perhaps you too, have a strong inclination to always go and assume negativity, and this has to change.
Do you have negative thinking patterns? You might be even proud of this, or answer with a big smile, but you shouldn't be happy about this. I have seen a lot of people, even people I care for, almost proud because of having always negative thinking, or simply not desiring to bring a change to their lives. If this is you, you probably allowed this negativity to grow nonstop, and this is so rooted within you that you don't even care.
Perhaps at least, if you are reading this, you might try to change this, and with this intention alone, you can already witness a difference down the line. You should not hold to these thoughts, believe it or not, you too can change this. I know exactly what you are thinking, I probably even told you more than once, so change that face! You can certainly change this, but do you want to?
Bad thinking patterns
Let's see if looking at some problems you constantly attract when you hold to negative thought patterns. First of all, focusing all the time on negativity, or assuming the negative is a form of cognitive distortions, where your mind is not functioning the way it should, by avoiding positivity and other things. In this state of mind, you will trigger the Principle of Correspondence, Vibration, and Mentalism to promote more negativity for you, the other way around if you shift!
For example, perhaps you prevent yourself from generating endorphins (good and happy chemicals) even when you have fantastic plans because "maybe something will go south and I will be disappointed." You are preventing yourself from having a great experience because "just in case" is not allowing you to enjoy everything a lot more.
Do you know that negative thinking patterns promote depression? The problem here is that depression reciprocally promotes negative thoughts. However, this doesn't mean that you are trapped, but you think you are trapped, and you probably have little willpower to change this. You, too, can develop greater resilience and mental toughness.
Anxiety is a terrible illness, and it is so easy to have it that if you don't do anything about it, you might have some degree of it. Did you know that breaking negative thinking patterns can ease anxiety and stress significantly? Why don't you give it a try? I am giving you five easy steps for changing thought patterns.
Types of Negative Thought Patterns
Before we go get the solution, you should learn more about this type of distorted thinking, so that you can identify any bad thinking patterns. Perhaps you are already quite a positive person, and you are looking to improve further and eliminate anything negative or limiting. So, let's briefly check them out:
- Dichotomous Thinking (Black-and-white thinking.) Things are not either black or white; don't forget there is a scale of grays. Even in a negative situation, there are positive aspects. So, even if there is something negative, the big picture might be positive; don't give up.
- Catastrophizing (Blowing issues out of proportion.) This one is quite common, too, cutting yourself off from doing something because you expect the worst. Did you even bother to check positive possibilities?
- Control & Fairness Fallacies (Perceiving oneself as powerless or blaming external factors) You should invest time with yourself, and perhaps seek some coaching support (I will be super happy to help, feel free to reach out.)
- Labeling (Self-identity distortions) Do you make self-destructive comments about yourself? You are making your brain send negative signals to your body, promoting sickness. Every time you say something bad about yourself, you also hurt those who love you. I bet you know this, but your distorted thinking keeps you at it, right? Well, stop it!
- Jumping to Conclusions (Assuming the worst.) I bet you can connect with this one, too, right? Why, oh why, do you always assume the worst? Didn't you have a lot of good experiences? Why not try assuming the best, and taking at least one step towards it? You will be surprised.
- Mental Filtering (Focusing only on negatives.) Yes, yes, yes, this is another one that perhaps you are trapped. Well, this one is easy to break if you want. Simply look for a positive former experience, relive it, and remind yourself you can and will have more.
- Emotional Reasoning (Believing feelings over facts.) You might have strong negative emotions about yourself or certain situations that perhaps are not accurate. You possibly have a lot more positivity than you are noticing.
- Overgeneralization (Exaggerating single events.) This is a big one, especially with negative thinking patterns. Sometimes, there can be a small problem, but again, it's a small problem, your life is not ruined, and you can always do something about it.
- Personalization & Self-Blame (Taking responsibility for external events) Here, if you focus on the big picture and put some thought into it, you can better understand the situation, and you will realize that at least part of the problem is not your fault, and that if there is any blame for you.
How many of these can you identify with? Be honest, with good self-criticism, and not yet another self-destructive moment, please. If you want to change these negative thinking patterns, you will reflect on each of these. If you can identify one or more, work on one at a time, don't rush. When breaking negative thinking patterns, you need to do it with some strategy, starting with the easiest one. If you do, you will be able to overcome it, and this alone will make you feel better.
5 Strategies for Breaking Negative Thinking Patterns
Okay, so now that you know well where the problems are, you need to start working on one at a time, as I just shared above. Changing negative thoughts is not difficult, but it takes a little bit of time, depending on how deep you are into negativity.
But don't worry if you believe you are the most negative person in the world, you still can experience a 180 shift, and, most likely, you are not the most negative person anyway. You, too, can shift, everybody can, and I want to drill this in your head. I know some extremely negative people, and even they improve, so you can as well. Let's check a few more suggestions:
- Identifying and challenging cognitive distortions. The first step is identifying where the problems are, and once you do, you need to understand what these difficulties are and why you have them. Once you do, you simply need to make a change in behavior. For example, you know you make a lot of self-destructive comments, even insulting yourself, which makes you feel better, and you know you should change this. Not super hard, right? Well, practice, allow yourself to make mistakes, and slowly get better and better.
- Scheduling and journaling negative thoughts. Sometimes, it can be hard to keep track of improvement, especially if you are dealing with a lot of negativity. Here, you can plan the next steps, as well as write down what negative thoughts are affecting you the most and how to deal with them.
- Practicing self-compassion and self-talk improvement. Check out this article about compassion, it will help you a lot. If you make positive affirmations out loud, you help your mind to believe this and start functioning in a better way. The problem with negative thinking patterns can start breaking down with this.
- Using mindfulness, meditation, and exercise. If you want to help yourself, pick one of the three that comes more easily for you: meditate, work out, and clear your mind. All three of them will provide fantastic results, making you feel better and more aligned.
- Limiting news and social media exposure. I have shared this one many times, so I will be brief. Most of the news will only lower your vibrations and weaken your positivity. Social media, especially if you are not in good mental shape, can be deadly, and a reason to compare yourself with ideals that are not even real or permanent, and feel worse. Stop it!
Now, here you have some solid ideas for you to start working. If you want me to lend you a hand, you can reach out through the WhatsApp button below or by clicking here. If you feel that this problem is taking over your life, you have extreme grim emotions, or you might consider life too negative for you, I suggest you seek mental professional help.
Conclusion
As you can see, it is up to you to break these negative thinking patterns. You cannot expect to send them all away from this instance and never be negative again, but you can start taking some easy steps. If you still think you cannot change these, it's because deep down, you don't want to, and you prefer to dwell within negativity instead of fighting it. This is not ideal, and you must not stick yourself with negativity.
I am asking you to please try to take some easy steps to start with, as I feel that you, too, can get out of this one. You only need to take one small step at a time, you don't have to do more. If you want and can do more, you will know it and naturally do it. So, make sure to give yourself an initial push with the easiest action. If you are persistent, you will see fantastic results, and the best of all is that with some early results, you will already get a significant motivation to keep going.
FAQ
Q: What are negative thought patterns?
A: These are pessimistic thoughts that come in patterns and loops, normally bringing anxiety and reducing your vibrations and happiness, such as catastrophizing, overgeneralization, or black-and-white thinking.)
Q: How do negative thought patterns develop?
A: These develop for various reasons, such as childhood trauma or parenting styles. These also develop from past experiences, limiting self-beliefs, social comparison, and a bunch more.
Q: Can negative thinking lead to depression?
A: Absolutely, and here you create a vicious circle where you have these negative thought patterns yielding to more depression, and this one promotes additional negative thinking. You need to break the loop!
Q: How do I identify my negative thought patterns?
A: Simply pay attention to your emotions and what you are telling yourself about a given situation. Look for common patterns in how you approach things while you challenge your inner critic.
Q: What are effective ways to stop negative thinking?
A: A great way to break the loop is to ask a "what if" with a good outcome, and dwell on it. Look for patterns in your behavior, like perfectionism, avoidance, or self-sabotage. Most important of all: Practice Mindfulness.
Q: Does overthinking contribute to negative thoughts?
A: Yes, generally it does because you tend to find even negative outcomes or situations that are extremely likely to happen because you amplify worse-case scenarios, keeping you stuck in the problem, and increasing anxiety and fear of the uncertain.
Q: Are there exercises to reduce negative thought patterns?
A: Yes, meditation, journaling, and cognitive restructuring exercises can help.
So, are you ready to bring more positivity into your life? Now know you can, so go for it! Next month, it’s May's Monthly Tarot Reading time, and we will talk about the following Tarot Card: Strength. You will also have a couple of or three questions related to this card for you to reflect on. The guided meditation “Strength” card will be available to purchase. Stay tuned for next Wednesday!
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Love & Light,
Lots of blessings and abundance your way! (Home)
Fernando Albert
Welcome to Soul Guidance! Here you can read all about Fernando Albert, Psychic Medium, Healer & Author. He speaks English, Spanish, Galician, and Catalan. Fernando believes in constant learning and personal and spiritual development, so he has both attended and taught spiritual workshops around the globe. Fernando follows his life purpose in being of service to others. He dedicates himself full time to providing psychic readings, energy healings, and coaching and teaching others.
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