Negative thinking, effects and how to overcome it
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 dowload 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 and optimistic person. The Positive thinking. program actually takes you beyond positive thinking. It will help you feel and be positive and change your whole world for the better. Positive thinking puts you on the lookout for the possibilities in new situations, rather than just the potential pitfalls.And it really is easy! .
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.
Related articles:
Pessimism . When you are always expecting the worst you create and attitude of pessimism . If you are constantly expecting the worst you are either thinking that somebody will do something bad to you or that you won't be able to achieve what you want. When you immerse yourself in pesimistic thoughts you become a victim . Because if you are expecting the worst in life. You conclusion then would be that you cannot do anything about it. You become powerless.
Being grateful . I have found that being grateful is one of the best ways for building self-esteem. When we are grateful for our life, who we are and what we have, we feel joy. Even if things are not going the way we want, if we focus on being grateful we will feel good about this feelings and ourselves will help us to build our esteem. Benefits of being grateful. 1. Increases your satisfaction with your life 2. Reduce envy and resentment and creates joy 3. Recover faster from negativity 4. Higher vitality and optimism 5. Less stress
Self esteem affirmations. are statements that you make to yourself . Actually you are all day affirming something. For example, when you are thinking all the time: " I never win prices" is a form of defeating affirmation. But if you say: "I always win", is a form of positive affirmations. Positive affirmations are good to replace defeating thinking or concepts that are no longer serving you. One way to overcome negativity on feelings, thoughts or attitudes about yourself is using affirmations.
Managing emotions . When you experience healthy emotions you feel good, expanded, your heart open. Feeling negativity contract you, drain your vitality and energy. . If you deny your emotions, you won't to be able to take care of you. You cannot deny nor avoid what you are feeling. You can always find a way to understand , overcome and transform them into healthier ones.
Sense of humor According to Karyn Buxman, a nationally recognized expert in therapeutic humor there are 2 types of humor: Destructive humor and constructive humor. Destructive humor lowers esteem, belittles others, excludes others. Creates tension, stimulates laughter at someone, perpetuates a stereotype. Creates barriers, creates defensiveness, closes off creative thought, and focuses on negatives. Constructive humor helps building self esteem, is supportive, includes people. Reduces tension, stimulates laughter with others, confronts stereotypic ideas. Breaks down barriers, relaxes, stimulates new ideas, and creates energy and a positive atmosphere.




