![]() Chances are, you’ll find that many things on these lists are things you often take for granted. This routine helps take the focus away from everything you may perceive as going “wrong” in your life and allows you to see everything that’s going right. Journaling has been shown to assist in meeting health goals, and this is yet another way it can help you.įor an extra boost, you can also connect your journaling with a daily gratitude practice, listing a few things you’re grateful for every day. This option gives you a great outlet for your difficult emotions and allows you to see over time how you react to various challenges – think of this practice as a way of collecting data.Īnd, after putting some of these anti-negativity strategies into effect, you’ll be able to see in black-and-white how things have improved. ![]() ![]() You also can make a habit of daily or weekly check-ins through a journal. JournalĪs noted above, it’s very helpful to write down your ANTs as they come up, then work out on the page the answers to those 4 questions designed to shed some clarity on the situation. You can be loving while still remaining detached, and their negativity won’t seep into your life. In the meantime, simply let them know you love them and will miss them. You can’t fix other people they need to do that for themselves. Remember that you can, and should, put yourself and your loved ones first. I care very much about my family’s well-being, but I realized I’d have to love some of them at a distance and set personal boundaries in order to respect myself. My family was full of dysfunctional people and relationships, and it became clear that I had to make changes with some of them, in order to prioritize what was truly most important to me in my life.įor example, some family members engaged in behaviors like lying, violence, and drama – that’s just how they chose to live their lives. I’ve talked before about my own recovery from trauma stemming from my childhood and family, and as I worked to heal myself, I quickly learned that strong boundaries were crucial to recover my health – and my sanity. Yes, we all want to enjoy luxuries like spa days and bubble baths, but I like to think of self-care as things like setting strong boundaries. Here are some suggestions: Practice Self-care But, in addition to taking a pause to become aware of your defeating thoughts, there are ways to intercept or prevent the negative thought loops that can drag you down fast. Sometimes this can snowball before you realize what’s happening – then suddenly you’re snapping at your spouse or kids, losing it in line at the store, or giving in to road rage. When ANTs are allowed to run rampant, they can affect your entire well-being. Who would I be without that thought? Or, how would I feel if I didn’t have that thought?ģ Practical Ways to Avoid Automatic Negative Thoughts.How do I react or feel when I think that thought?.Then, before you find yourself spiraling into negativity and self-pity, ask yourself 4 key questions about each thought, and answer honestly: But how can you stop these from taking over, especially when they feel like they’re so automatic?įirst, when you find yourself with a growing ANT infestation, write down the thoughts that are coming up for you. That’s why it’s a good idea to start pushing back against the extreme and drastic assumptions that have little basis in reality. For example, how often is something truly all one person’s fault? Most likely, numerous factors and people have combined to create a given situation, whether negative or positive. You might recognize that they reflect black-and-white, all-or-nothing thinking. Have you ever said any of the following statements? The good news is, you can arm yourself against these harmful patterns by developing (or strengthening) your Warrior sense of personal responsibility – killing the ANTs and getting a more rational, positive outlook on life, even in the most stressful of times. If you find that you’re often spiraling down into these depths in your own head – and feeling like nothing will ever get better – it’s time to fight back. These create a victim mentality and generate negative internal dialogues that can easily infest your mind and make you feel scared, worried, hopeless, or stressed. If you’re drowning in negativity, before you know it, life can feel miserable regardless of outside circumstances – and you might not even understand how it happened, or why you always feel so bad.Īutomatic negative thoughts ( ANTs) are often a major part of the equation. Negative people breed negative thoughts, and negative thoughts breed negative habits. Maybe you’ve heard the Einstein quote, “Stay away from negative people, they have a problem for every solution.” Ain’t that the truth!
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