Negative thinking, effects and how to overcome it

by Carla Valencia

We all know that our thoughts shape our moods. Negative thinking, that can be translated into having negative thoughts, will influence your mood and low your energy. Your thoughts and beliefs have an impact on your physical and mental health. Negative thinking causes negative emotions and feelings, such as depression and anxiety .

Many people don't understand, or don't want to accept, that negative thinking has a direct impact on how one feels, and thus on how one behaves, what one's attitudes are, and what one experiences on a consistent basis. Those who are in denial about the power of either negative or positive thinking say things to themselves such as, "Well, just because I had times when I have doubted my capabilities or preparedness, I have not failed in my career; I have usually been successful, in fact."

But we aren't talking about time to time doubts, fears, or heavy self criticism. Being self-critical keeps you grounded in a realistic perspective on things. And there are times when it's the right thing to feel sorrow and to grieve. We are talking about the habit of negative thinking--of always seeing things getting worse if they are going to change at all; of always feeling the worst about yourself. Habitual negative thinking only produces consistently negative results.

SOME EFFECTS OF NEGATIVE THINKING

Constant complaining. Nothing is ever satisfying or good enough. Complaining all the time leaves you unfulfilled and irritable. It also leaves you lonely; nobody wants to be around people who always complain.
A self-defeating attitude. If you have a self-defeating attitude you cut yourself off from the actions that would lead you to success and joy. Thoughts like "I'm too unattractive" lead you to be an introverted wallflower; that's not the way to get a date or even a dance.
Negative self talk . If you tell yourself you will fail, it does not matter how talented you really are at something; you will make yourself fail, even if through just giving up on something too soon. You also will just feel rotten about yourself, and there's nothing pleasurable about that.
The victim mentality. No, there's nothing you can do to improve your situation, because all of your woes can be blamed on other people--who, for mysterious reasons, wish you ill will.
Stress. Too much stress has all sorts of negative health effects, physical as well as psychological.

HOW TO OVERCOME NEGATIVE THINKING

Every time you catch yourself thinking a negative thought, say "thank you for sharing" and think a positive one.
Realize that you only hurt yourself with negative thoughts.
Read positive quotes. You can go to Inspirational quotes pages .
If you think negatively about someone, try to look for the positive things about the person. Just make a list of the good qualities of that person.
Go for nature hikes. Get fresh air into your lungs. Look around and see and feel and smell all the natural beauty of the world. Feel your muscles working.
Accept yourself as you are. Read my article about self-acceptance for guidance. Change the things that you can change and always strive for self-improvement, but don't ever think you need to be someone that you're not.
Read inspirational books and download self-hypnosis programs such as: Stop negative thoughts , this download help you feel positive now and enjoy the benefits of being a much more positive. The Positive thinking. program takes you beyond positive thinking. It will help you feel and be positive and change your whole world for the better.

Remember, if you are caught up in negative thinking, you have to re-program your mind to have a positive stream of consciousness. This will take some work, and you must give it time. Think positively about learning to think positively.