Negative thinking can have a devastating impact on one’s mental health, leading to stress and fear of failure that wreak havoc with relationships and ability to work.
Retraining your thoughts can be challenging and requires professional assistance, but there are techniques that can help stop negative patterns of thought from emerging.
Cognitive distortions
Cognitive distortions are negative or irrational patterns of thinking which obstruct mental wellbeing and can interfere with efforts to promote it. Such distortions may contribute to anxiety, depression and even behavioral problems like substance abuse; thankfully many such distorted thought patterns can be reversed once they’re awared.
Mental filtering is a form of cognitive distortion in which individuals disregard any positive aspects of an experience in favor of solely considering its negative components. Also referred to as discounting positive aspects, mental filtering shares many similarities with negativity bias – another type of cognitive distortion.
Negative mental filtering is a cognitive disorder that impacts individuals of all ages and backgrounds, contributing to depression and anxiety disorders as well as other emotional concerns. To combat it, try thinking of all of its positive aspects before making judgments on whether something is good or bad.
All-or-nothing thinking is another form of cognitive distortion that can lead to feelings of frustration, anger and resentment. This involves viewing people, events or circumstances as either black or white and believing there is no middle ground; for instance if you fail a test you might believe you won’t pass any more; if your sibling doesn’t get along with you it might lead to belief that no one likes you.
Overgeneralization is a type of cognitive distortion that leads to catastrophizing, or negative thinking. Catastrophizing occurs when we assume the worst will happen even though no evidence supports such predictions; for instance, we might fear taking on new jobs because we think we will lose them.
Emotional reasoning is a cognitive distortion in which you mistake your emotions for reality, leading to self-criticism, low self-esteem and relationship problems as well as substance abuse due to believing your negative feelings as indicators of worth as a person.
Mental filtering
Mental filtering is a type of cognitive distortion that leads to negative thinking. This happens when people focus on and magnify negative aspects of an experience while disregarding any positive ones; this creates a pessimistic viewpoint and may cause self-defeating patterns to form in themselves. If this sounds familiar to you, there are ways you can break free from mental filtering.
Negative thinking is one of the most prevalent forms of mental illness and often contributes to feelings of depression or anxiety. Additionally, this form of thinking often makes relationships less fulfilling – often dwelling on what your partner has done or said and overlooking or downplaying any positive qualities they possess.
One way to counter mental filtering is keeping a journal and recording all of the good things that have happened to you over time, even if they seem minor at first glance. Seeking objective opinions from friends and family also can help.
If you find yourself constantly individualizing situations, it may be time to stop this unhelpful thought pattern. Personalizing incidents is an all-too-common form of mental filtering which results in taking responsibility for whatever doesn’t go your way and assigning blame where none should lie; even though your actions may have had some part to play.
“All or nothing” thinking is another type of mental filter, whereby only negative aspects of any situation are perceived. For instance, you might view your coworker as rude or that you’re not good enough at your job; or overgeneralize by generalizing “All my colleagues are rude”. Such thinking patterns can lead to feelings of hopelessness and despair as well as shame and guilt – so seeking professional assistance for assistance in breaking this cycle of negative thought patterns may help.
Emotional reasoning
Emotional reasoning is a form of cognitive distortion in which people mistakenly believe their feelings as reliable indicators of reality. For instance, when your boss rejects your proposal and you get upset at them for it, emotional reasoning could make you think they were out to undermine you intentionally. While emotions play a valuable role in survival and decision-making processes, using emotions as proof against reality should never lead to negative thinking which often contributes to anxiety and depression – making coping with setbacks harder than necessary.
One of the key steps when dealing with negative thoughts is recognizing and taking steps to overcome them. This could involve self-examination, mindfulness practice and pinpointing their root cause. Furthermore, finding support systems and practicing self-care will be helpful in breaking free of limiting beliefs that are creating issues for you.
Distorted thinking occurs when we interpret our emotional reactions as information about a situation, even if these responses are inaccurate or even conflicting with each other. It’s a widespread problem among many, including those with mental health conditions; such distorted thoughts can have devastating effects on confidence and self-esteem as well as lead to unhealthy behaviors that compromise them both.
Your mental health may also be at stake if you struggle with all-or-nothing thinking, in which an error in one area will have ripple effects across everything else. If a test goes poorly for instance, that might make you believe you’re an awful student overall; this type of thinking can be especially harmful when applied to children with mental health concerns.
Overgeneralization is another distorted thought pattern, in which you generalize about yourself or others based on a single experience, for instance if a relationship fails you may think all relationships are hopeless and make general statements based on this experience about them all. Unfortunately, overgeneralization can have serious repercussions for both mental health and relationships alike if done in excess.
Discounting the Positive, or discounting positive events and circumstances, is another form of distortion in thought patterns that often results in less motivation, lower self-esteem and anxiety and depression.
Dwelling on the past
Dwelling on the past is a common form of negative thinking that may stem from many different sources, including negative self-perceptions, past trauma or humiliation, fearing what the future may hold, and/or wanting to escape reality of present-day living; for instance, someone dwelling on how much older they are becoming may struggle with coming to grips with reality: for instance they may struggle adjusting to being less quick-witted, flexible or adaptable as before as they try to remember past life recollections instead.
Breaking free of negative thinking can be challenging, but mental health therapists are here to help. A few strategies may be employed in order to break this pattern of thought by identifying and addressing specific patterns in thoughts that have developed over time.
Rumination, or mentally replaying stressful events over and over in your mind, is one of the most frequent forms of negative thinking. Rumination can cause distress and anxiety and is commonly found among mental health conditions like generalized anxiety disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder; but even people without such diagnoses can engage in occasional bouts of rumination.
One effective strategy to combat rumination is writing down and evaluating negative thoughts, then focusing on positive aspects such as family, pets, memories or personal achievements in your life. Finally, try taking a step back from the problem to view it objectively.
Negative thoughts can be very draining and have an enormously detrimental impact on your quality of life. While overcoming them takes effort and commitment, the reward will come when you feel more balanced and energetic afterward.
To learn how to combat negative thoughts and regain emotional control, contact Baptist Health’s behavioral health providers today and speak to one of them about overcoming negative thinking patterns or regaining your emotional equilibrium. Their caring team are here to support your journey toward feeling your best – get in touch now to begin working together towards better health! Reach out today so you can get back on the road.