Negative thinking can often get the best of us. But do you even know when you’re thinking negatively? Can you recognise your own negative self-talk? And more importantly, can you stop it?!
There are ten ways people sabotage themselves with their own negative thinking patterns.
The 10 Types of Negative Thinking are:
- Black and White Thinking. Using words like “never” and “always” in negative statements about yourself.
- Mind Reading. Thinking for others, thinking that others think negative about you, or filling in the blanks by negative assumptions you think other people think about you.
- Predicting (gazing in the future) Negative Outcomes. Allowing fear of the unknown to overwhelm you.
- Over-Generalising the Negative. Dramatizing your results and thinking that all things will fail if you think you made a little mistake.
- Not Giving Credit to the Positive. Immediately downsizing your positive traits or accomplishments.
- Over-Reacting. A small incident that is neutral in meaning, thinking negative about it and dramatizing the conclusion.
- Unrealistic Expectations. Obsessing over perfectionism, that nothing seems good enough.
- Criticising Yourself. Giving yourself negative names, bullying or cursing to yourself.
- Insecurity. Imagining you made a fault or did something wrong even though nothing bad really happened. You take the blame on yourself even though it is not really needed or true.
- Dramatizing and making a catastrophe from a small incident, fault or negative outcome. Linking one incident to a negative outcome that is beyond proportion.
Most of these patterns are intermixed and often follow on from each other.
It can be difficult to get out of the loop of negative thinking. First of all you should become aware that you do this, whether out of fear or insecurity. It is normal to be afraid of the unknown, and fear arises when you cannot predict an outcome. A lot of people have that trait.
Try small ways of changing your thoughts, by focusing more on the small things that go right and the small accomplishments that you did reach.
Also, be aware of the contrasting evidence that happen in your favour and directly disprove your negative thinking or assumptions. It takes practice, but you CAN overcome your negative thinking patterns!
Author:
Shehnaaz
Guest author Shehnaaz grew up in the Hague, the Netherlands, and was always interested in psychology. Shehnaaz owns Juno Counselling and Ilumina Vida Holistic Therapy and Counselling, where she combines holistic therapies to treat different life issues including spirituality, relationships, sexuality, spiritual practices and a healthy lifestyle. Shehnaaz offers various Holistic Counselling and Massage Services for Women in Vancouver BC. Connect with her on Facebook or learn more by visiting her website iluminavida.ca.
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