How to Stop Negative Thoughts

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Using Mindfulness

Identify Your Negative Thoughts

Replace Negative Thoughts

Avoid Thought-Stopping Techniques

Practice Coping With Criticism

Use a Diary to Track Negative Thoughts

Frequently Asked Questions

What are negative thoughts?

Why do I have negative thoughts?

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Negative thoughts can contribute to problems such as social anxiety, depression, stress, and low self-esteem. The key to changing yournegative thoughtsis to understand how you think now (and the problems that result), then use strategies to change these thoughts or make them have less of an effect.

“Our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are all linked, so our thoughts impact how we feel and act. So, although we all have unhelpful thoughts from time to time, it’s important to know what to do when they appear so we don’t let them change the course of our day,” explainsRachel Goldman, PhD, a psychologist and clinical assistant professor at the NYU School of Medicine.

Therapy can often be helpful for changing negative thoughts, but you can also learn how to change your thought patterns on your own. This article discusses some of the steps you can take to change your negative thoughts.

Some of the ways that you can get rid of negative thoughts include:

Combat Negative Thoughts With Mindfulness

Mindfulnesshas its roots in meditation. It is the practice of detaching yourself from your thoughts and emotions and viewing them as an outside observer. Practicing mindfulness can help you become more conscious of your thoughts and build greater self-awareness.

Rachel Goldman, PhDBecome aware of how your thoughts are impacting your emotions and behaviors. Observe your thoughts. Ask yourself if this thought is helpful? What purpose is the thought serving you? How does the thought make you feel?

Rachel Goldman, PhD

Become aware of how your thoughts are impacting your emotions and behaviors. Observe your thoughts. Ask yourself if this thought is helpful? What purpose is the thought serving you? How does the thought make you feel?

One study found that people who engaged in a mindfulness practice experienced fewer negative thoughts after exposure to negative imagery, suggesting that mindfulness may lessen the frequency and impact of negative thinking.

Mindfulness Meditation for Anxiety

As you observe your thoughts, work on identifying and labelingcognitive distortionsand negativity.

For example, if you tend to view yourself as a complete success or failure in every situation, then you are engaging in “black-and-white” thinking. Other negative thinking patterns include:

Unhelpful thinking patterns differ in subtle ways. But they all involve distortions of reality and irrational ways of looking at situations and people.

Goldman suggests that this step is all about identifying and labeling negative thoughts.

Now that you have observed the thought, you can identify it as an unhelpful thought (perhaps we’ve even identified it as an all-or-nothing thought, or another type of cognitive distortion). Just observe it and label it.—RACHEL GOLDMAN, PHD

Now that you have observed the thought, you can identify it as an unhelpful thought (perhaps we’ve even identified it as an all-or-nothing thought, or another type of cognitive distortion). Just observe it and label it.

—RACHEL GOLDMAN, PHD

She also suggests pausing to accept the thought for what it is. Remind yourself that it’s just a thought andnot a fact.

RecapThere are many different types of cognitive distortions that contribute to negative thinking. Learning more about these distortions and remembering that thoughts are not facts may help lessen the power of these negative thinking patterns.

Recap

There are many different types of cognitive distortions that contribute to negative thinking. Learning more about these distortions and remembering that thoughts are not facts may help lessen the power of these negative thinking patterns.

Are You a Pessimist? Take the Quiz

Try our fast and freetestto find out if you are more of an optimist, pessimist, or somewhere in between.

One of the basic parts of a treatment plan involvingcognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)is cognitive restructuring. This process helps you to identify andchange negative thoughtsinto more helpful and adaptive responses.

Goldman suggests examining the evidence that either supports or contradicts the thought. Doing this can help you challenge negative thinking and explore alternatives that are more helpful and realistic.

Johns Hopkins Medicine suggests trying to focus on the positive to help combat the negative thought patterns associated with depression. Sometimes we are overly focused on negative things in life and overlooking the abundance of blessings that we have.

You can also look for the silver lining so to speak. Ask yourself, will anything good come out of my current situation?However, Goldman recommends not replacing negative thoughts with overly positive ones. If the replacement thoughts are not realistic, they won’t be helpful.

Goldman suggests that if you find yourself thinking thoughts like “I am going to fail,” you shouldn’t replace it with something like “I know I am going to succeed.”

“You instead would want to replace it with something more neutral, which is also showing someself-compassion, like ‘I don’t know if I am going to be able to do it, but I am going to try my best,'” she suggests.

One study found that a single cognitive restructuring intervention helped people reduce negative thoughts and biases that play a role in contributing to anxiety.

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Thought-stopping is the opposite of mindfulness. It is the act of being on the lookout for negative thoughts and insisting that they be eliminated.

The problem with thought-stopping is that the more you try to stop your negative thoughts, the more they will surface. This is known as thought rebounding. Experts believe that the thought rebounding that takes place after trying to stop negative thoughts is much more damaging.

Similar to changing lifestyle habits, when you want to stop doing something, you may find yourself wanting to do it even more.

Instead, psychologists generally recommend finding ways to deal with negative thoughts more directly. Mindfulness is preferable because you are not fighting your thoughts. Instead, you give less weight and value to your thoughts and this reduces the impact they have on you.

Thought stopping might seem to help in the short term, but over time, it leads to more anxiety.

In addition to cognitive restructuring, another aspect of CBT that is sometimes helpful for those with social anxiety involves something known as the “assertive defense of the self.”

Since it is possible that some of the time, people will actually be critical and judgmental toward you, it is important that you are able tocope with rejection and criticism.

This process is usually conducted in therapy with a pretend conversation between you and your therapist to build yourassertiveness skillsand develop healthy responses to criticism. These skills are then transferred to the real world through homework assignments.

For example, if faced with criticism in real life, having a set of assertive responses prepared will help you deal with these potentially anxiety-provoking situations. What’s more, real-life encounters are welcome as a chance to put into practice this exercise, according to this method.

Some research suggests that facing potential “social mishaps” that contribute to anxiety and negative thinking can also be helpful.

The goal of improving your ability to handle criticism and rejection is to help increase your tolerance of the distress these things may cause, which may combat your automatic negative thoughts.

How Can I Be More Assertive When I Have Social Anxiety?

Thought diaries, also called thought records, can be used as part of any process to change negative thinking. Thought diaries help you identify negative thinking styles and gain a better understanding of how your thoughts (and not the situations you are in) cause your emotional reactions.

Most CBT treatment plans will involve the use of a thought diary as part of regularhomework assignments.

For example, a thought diary entry might break down the thought process of a person on a date, and the emotional and physical reactions that result from negative thinking patterns. By the end of the thought analysis, you can replace irrational thoughts about rejection with more helpful and positive ways of thinking.

What are negative thoughts?Everyone has negative thoughts sometimes. and include cynical or pessimistic beliefs you might have about yourself, other people, situations, or the world. They can affect your mood and behavior, and can be present in certain mental health conditions.Examples of negative thoughts include:“I’ll never be good enough"“They must think I’m stupid for saying that"“That situation is destined to turn out badly"“I will never find a good partner”

Everyone has negative thoughts sometimes. and include cynical or pessimistic beliefs you might have about yourself, other people, situations, or the world. They can affect your mood and behavior, and can be present in certain mental health conditions.Examples of negative thoughts include:“I’ll never be good enough"“They must think I’m stupid for saying that"“That situation is destined to turn out badly"“I will never find a good partner”

Everyone has negative thoughts sometimes. and include cynical or pessimistic beliefs you might have about yourself, other people, situations, or the world. They can affect your mood and behavior, and can be present in certain mental health conditions.

Examples of negative thoughts include:

Negative thoughts are sometimes referred to ascognitive distortions. These are faulty thinking patterns that can lead to negativity and play a role in causing problems such as poor self-esteem, anxiety, and depression.

Negative thoughts are quite common, and everyone does it from time to time. However, there can be many underlying variables that make it worse.

Takeaways

If you struggle with negative thought patterns and it’s disrupting your well-being, consider trying some strategies on your own to improve your thought life. Sometimes it may be necessary to talk to a mental health professional. While it can be tough to share the thoughts you have with someone, therapists can assess your negative thinking patterns and help you create a healthier inner dialogue.

Goldman likes to remind her clients that the process of changing negative thoughts isn’t a quick fix. “This isn’t easy and it takes time, but with practice, it gets easier and you can create new automatic thoughts that work for you,” she explains.

Positive Thinking Apps

12 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

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Johns Hopkins Medicine.Major depression.

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Norris CJ.The negativity bias, revisited: Evidence from neuroscience measures and an individual differences approach.Social Neuroscience. 2021;16(1):68-82. doi:10.1080/17470919.2019.1696225

Trick L, Watkins E, Windeatt S, Dickens C.The association of perseverative negative thinking with depression, anxiety and emotional distress in people with long term conditions: A systematic review.J Psychosom Res. 2016;91:89-101. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2016.11.004

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