Did you know that the way you think has numerous effects on your attitude, personal views and values? Your belief system is made up of all the things that were mentioned above. They’re always in you, shaping and moulding you the way in which you look at yourself as well as the world around you.
To give you an idea, here’s a scenario. If you truly believe that you have a strong self-esteem, then it guides you in a positive direction. However, if you don’t, this can easily distract you from achieving or fulfilling your desired goals. Hence, leading to anxiety as you worry about the many things around you that have yet to be achieved or fulfilled.
What’s anxiety all about?
Anxiety is when you tend to overwork the brain into a train of thoughts that brings up emotions such as fear, concern, alarming or disturbing about certain things or aspects that occur in your daily life. This could easily be a number one cause of a disorder known as Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD).
Repetitive negative thinking
According to a study done by the BMC Psychiatry in 2020, it states that Repetitive Negative Thinking or better known as RNT, is described as an action of an individual who repeatedly ponders on their problems or experiences in life. How is RNT linked to anxiety disorders? Constant negative thoughts can lead to excessive worrying. For example, having negative thoughts about the past and worrying about the future. Hence, at the end of the day, when your mind is flooded with nothing but worries, you’ll start to feel anxious.
As negative thinking patterns can increase your worry and fear that translates to anxiety, it is believed that RNT contributes to the development of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Stop negative thoughts
Shifting the way you think simply means that you’re consciously constraining yourself to put a stop to an established thought of pattern. You’ll need to re-evaluate how you reflect on a situation or what you think about it by realigning your thoughts towards certain situations.
To simply put it, be alert with the way you think and when you’re aware that you’re dwelling too long in negativity, switch that thought by distracting yourself with a positive reminder such as a spiritual verse, quote or an activity.
Negative thinking patterns do not always pop up, but they can easily rise up when you are faced with an issue that triggers your emotions.
To add on, as these negative thoughts begin to grow more each and everyday, it can cause physical effects such as:
- Palpitating heart beat
- Sweaty hands
- Limit daily activities
- Difficult in enjoying life.
Think healthy, think better
Negative thoughts can increase your fear and worry, which is why we’re suggesting that you think in a healthier way. Healthy thinking can do you a favour and prevent or control your anxiety from taking control of your emotions and judgements. Below are some approaches that will help you neutralise pessimism:
- Practice healthy thinking everyday.
- Start replacing the negativity in your surroundings and life with positive and affirmative thoughts.
- When you’re forced to be in a negative situation by nature, try to find what’s good or helpful about it. From there, you’ll be able to escape the situation without hurting your emotions.
- Be grateful for a few of the things you may often take for granted.
- Snap back into the present moment when you find yourself over-thinking.
- Never compare the past with the future. This triggers anxious thoughts involving that may make you think that something bad is going to happen.
Stop leading your thoughts with “I should”
In a lot of ways, this is about eliminating a lot of negative behaviours and mental programming you may have gotten used to. For instance, instead of saying “I should stop thinking this way”, change that train of thought to, “I see that I’m being anxious right now. Why don’t I think of more credible thoughts or what would I tell others who are going through the same thing as I am?”
Sometimes, thinking that you should do, act, or feel in a certain way is enough to add more pressure on you that may elevate anxious thinking. For some individuals, they might even find themselves procrastinating on the matter at hand or whatever you’re thinking about.
So, reaffirm yourself to find a mellow way to keep your thoughts on track without spiraling through a negative thinking pattern.
Are you ready for a change of thought?
For certain individuals who often deal with anxiety, healthy thinking may not be enough to help them overcome this issue. One of the best ways to help yourself have a better control of anxiety is to go for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
CBT is a type of therapy that can assist in replacing your negative thoughts with encouraging ones. Call up your doctor or therapist to know more about CBT or simply when you think you may need some help.
Sources: University of Michigan, Psychology Today
