In our daily lives, the way we think profoundly impacts how we feel and behave. Negative thinking patterns can trap us in a cycle of pessimism, affecting our self-esteem, relationships, and overall well-being. By recognizing and challenging these patterns, we can begin to reshape our mindset, paving the way for a more positive and fulfilling life.
Positive thinking will make your life better. Studies show that encouraging a positive mind can decrease stress, create a greater sense of well being, and improve your health by creating a stronger resistance to the common cold, by reducing the risk of coronary artery disease and by allowing easier breathing for those with lung diseases. Studies also show that thinking positively can generate better coping skills and contribute to more fulfilling relationships.
Our thoughts, feelings, and behavior all affect each other. If we think negatively, we don’t feel as good about ourselves and our world, and our behavior will reflect that. If I tell myself I’m worthless and no one likes me, I am sure to feel depressed and might withdraw from others, perhaps even isolating myself at home. But if we think positively our feelings and behavior will follow. If I tell myself I have a lot to offer, I will feel happier and may want to interact more with others.
Nine Negative Thinking Patterns
Nine negative thinking patterns, or mistaken ways of thinking, have been identified that are commonly used. Most of us lean on at least one on a daily basis while others are consumed by all nine every day.
I challenge you to read the list below and circle the negative thinking patterns that you use in your daily life. You may be surprised by the faulty ways your thoughts are sabotaging you.
- Filtering: You focus on the negative details while ignoring all the positive aspects of a situation
- Polarized Thinking: Things are black or white, good or bad. There’s no middle ground, no room for mistakes
- Overgeneralization: You reach a general conclusion based on a single incident or piece of evidence. You exaggerate the frequency of problems and use negative universal labels
- Mind Reading: You think you have knowledge of how others think and feel about you, and you imagine it is mostly negative.
- Catastrophizing: You expect, even visualize, disaster. You notice or hear about a problem and start asking ‘What if’ questions: “What if the worst is about to happen to me?”
- Magnifying: You exaggerate the degree or intensity of a problem. You turn up the volume on anything good or bad, thus making it overwhelming.
- Personalization: You assume that everything people do or say is some kind of reaction to you. You compare yourself to others, seeing how much smarter, better looking, more competent others are than you are.
- Shoulds: You have a list of solid rules about how you and others should act. People who break the rules make you angry, and you feel guilty if you break your rules.
- Victimization: Everything is always someone else’s fault. I call this “Other Blaming.” You fail to take responsibility for you actions and place the blame on those around you.
How many did you circle?
The good news is it is entirely possible for you to rectify your negative thinking. Focus on being aware of when you use them. Work hard to change them. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help assist you in changing your thought patterns, your emotional reactions, and your behavioral impulses. A cognitive behavioral therapist will point out your negative thought patterns and redirect them towards the positive, thereby improving your feelings, your behavior, and your life. Contact me to schedule an appointment.
In Kindness,
MM