Lesssbeehonest sometimes negative thinking can get the best of us, it's true. The great thing is that it doesn't have to. With practice and confidence, over time it is possible to begin to replace negative thoughts with positive ones, possess a more positive explanatory style for negative events, and improve your self worth and esteem!
Some would say that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. Who is to say positive thinking can't be one of those habits?
Let's talk about the barriers to positive thinking and how to combat them & regain control over our stressful, anxiety provoking thoughts.
*Catastrophizing- Oh you know the feeling. The whole "Oh no! I missed/failed a homework assignment and now I am going to fail the class, and never graduate on time, then I wont be able to afford my life, I may end up bounced out to the street! Ah!" <-- [Enter your painfully irrational over blown fear here]. Basically it is imagining the worst possible outcome and sometimes believing that it is the only outcome. This kind of thinking batters our self worth and esteem.
Instead, try to honor your feelings in the moment without allowing yourself to 'predict' the future. Practicing grounding skills, and self awareness will help you to regain control of your worried mind. It is important to remain aware of the TYPE of language you are using towards yourself and others. When it is difficult to explain ones emotions and to gain control of them, it is a sign of a struggle to cope with the stress. Using positive self talk will help you to regain control in a stressful situation.
*Shoulds- Ah, "I should have been better/faster/stronger/smarter/nicer" and so on. Or "You should have done this not that blah blah". This way of thinking can cause discouragement and anger towards others. Forming strict or unrealistic expectations or goals for ones self or others can lead to unnecessary stress, anxiety, decreased esteem or life satisfaction.
By practicing flexibility and forgiveness we can work on releasing [or at least reducing] some of our excessively high expectations and replace them with attainable goals that we can appreciate ourselves for completing.
*Magnifying- This is so common it hurts. It is often easy during times of disappointment to compare our worst with someone else's *BEST*. We magnify our negatives and get stuck in a rut of distorted thinking.
When we can learn to hold our thoughts and feelings at attention then release them rather than fixate on them we can overcome the power of negative intrusive thoughts or perceptions.
Positive Thinking
In order to promote positive feelings, it is important to
*Savor the moment- Decrease stress & rid negative thoughts
*Thank who matters- Feel better about life
*Aspire to meaningful goals- Eliminate dead end thinking
*Give yourself thanks- Boost esteem and self worth
*Empathize with others- Improve a variety of relationships
Or you can also try-
> Finding Gratitude
> Avoid the Blame Game
> Gain a higher level of emotional intelligence by being aware of how you feel in the moment
> Learn how you react and improve it
> Focus on SoLuTiOnS- Reflect on the past, and look ahead to a brighter future
No comments:
Post a Comment