5 Smart Ways To Overcome Negative Thoughts
Last Updated on October 4, 2022
For many, negative thinking is a habit which, over time, becomes an addiction. -Peter McWilliams
Have you ever thought, “I will not get my dream job.” or “I will not be able to crack that job interview.” Well, these are negative thoughts.
There are times when we encounter negative thought patterns in life, and we ask ourselves, “Why do I always think negatively?”
These are those times when you need to make changes in your thoughts so that you can win the battle with yourself. But if you want to know how you can overcome your negative thoughts, then you are at the right place.
You can be your greatest enemy; your thoughts are just thoughts; you label them as negative or positive, creating havoc, and that’s why overcoming those thoughts becomes so hard.
If you closely observe, thoughts are just ideas or situations you think about, but they are not real; those thoughts are your self-inflicted boundaries.
So how can one stop negative thoughts? There are many ways to win over negative thinking, but here are five proven and clever ways to defeat your negative thoughts.
#1. Replace Them with Positive Ones
The best and number one way to overcome and defeat negative thoughts is to replace them with positive thoughts. In this way, you can also practice the habit of positive thinking.
Here is an example to make you understand clearly:
Say you are thinking about your salary and a thought pops up in your mind, “What if I don’t get my salary this month?” Replace this with a positive thought like, “What if my family helps me in cutting expenses?”
This way, you can save yourself from depressive thoughts and can work with more peace.
Practice seeing the positive side in each negative situation; thus, you can be more relaxed.
#2. Develop the Habit of Gratitude
I must have talked about gratitude tens of times on my blog because this is the best habit you can practice. Just throw away anything that hurts your mental health, from negative thoughts to building a positive mindset.
According to Wood and colleagues reserach, gratitude can be seen as a ‘life orientation’ – or, in other words, a worldview whereby feelings of gratitude stem from noticing and appreciating the positive things in life.
Studies suggest that a person who practices gratitude notices changes in his mindset and perceiving life. Individuals who practiced gratitude had a more positive outlook on life than those who don’t.
#3. Do Not Always Think About Other’s Opinions
If you are suffering from negative thought patterns and struggling to overcome them; then you will surely agree that it is easy to fall into negative thoughts when we think about “What would others think if I do or say something?”
Actually, what people will say does not matter, and you should stop beating yourself up. Start doing what you love and just dump this old-fashioned thought.
Just do what you must do, never ever beat yourself up, or stop doing something you genuinely love doing.
#4. Talk It Over
This is the worst mistake you can make if you are suffering from the habit of negative thinking. Keeping your thoughts in your head and waiting for your thoughts to burst out.
Go and share your thoughts with someone you trust, with someone who understands you, and talk to your parents, friends, or teacher.
Letting those clouds of negativity out can really help you overcome it.
#5. Avoid Comparing Yourself to Overcome Negative Thoughts
Comparison is the enemy of your mental health, mindset, and positive thinking. The day you compare yourself, your abilities, personality, physical traits, or skills with anyone, you fall into negativity.
Comparison kills positivity, you know why? Because you start observing the best in others and the worst in yourself.
You start questioning your capabilities and appearance, which causes stress, low self-esteem, depression, and sometimes even worst.
Many statistics show comparison can even kill you, as many teens commit suicide because they stop seeing the good in themselves.
A synthesis of existing literature on repetitive negative thoughts suggest that following negative emotional experiences, RNTs may lead to a sense of entrapment and hopelessness that may contribute to the onset of suicidal ideation and then facilitate the transition from thinking about suicide to making a suicide attempt by increasing an individual’s capability for suicide through repetitive exposure to violent thoughts and imagery associated with suicide.
Source: PubMed
It’s Not Over Yet
According to the National Science Foundation, on average, a person has about 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day; of those, 80% are negative, and 95% are repetitive thoughts.
It’s your choice what type of thoughts you love to think, positive or negative. You just have to practice positivity because negativity will always be around you.
Learn to see positive things too.
Did You Find These Ways of Overcoming Negative Thoughts Helpful?
You cannot overcome your negative thinking in a day, but you can surely overcome it with consistent efforts, so do not feel sad when you don’t see results quickly. I also hope you find these ways of overcoming your bad and negative thoughts helpful. Just remember them and trust yourself.
