Negative thoughts are so impactful that they can prevent one from achieving set goals. How do you challenge negative thinking? There are several ways you can do this based on what you think will suit you.
Here are fur ways to combat negative thoughts and live a more fulfilling life:
Question Them
The first step to combating negative thoughts is to search for their validity by questioning them. You can do this effectively by identifying these thoughts and pinpointing the reasons that support or dispute them. When you do this, you discover that negative thoughts are not facts but only belief patterns the mind has grown accustomed to overtime.
Be Mindful
The act of paying attention to your thought patterns can be a life-changing practice. Engage in activities such as focusing on your breath, meditating, and scanning your body sensations. There have been several studies to show that mindful activities such as this help you handle negative thoughts more effectively. The more you practise mindfulness, the better you become at it, so start being mindful today.
Focus On The End Results Not The Process
Negative thoughts are usually at their strongest when you’re in the process of achieving a goal. They could come in the form of self-doubt, catastrophising, disqualifying the positives and so on. One way you can ignore all these kinds of thoughts is by focusing on the end results of the goals you are trying to achieve. The key is to journal the reasons why you set out to accomplish your goals in the first place and why they are important to you. The more you reference this journal, the more you motivate yourself to stay focused and push ahead.
Look Into The Root Cause Of The Problem
Most times, negative thoughts stem from an underlying problem that may not be clear at first. Through careful introspection, you can identify the deep-rooted reasons why your negative thoughts come up.
The aforementioned steps of “Questioning negative thoughts” can help you find the triggers that encourage negative thoughts. Through these triggers, you will be able to identify the root cause of the problem and ultimately address the issue.
Featured Image Source: John Kehoe
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