Learn To Identify Automatic Negative Thoughts

A while ago I found a picture on social media that I liked. It was an old picture that belonged to a woman, and she had a poster on her face that said “Do not believe everything you think”… What does it mean? Why should I doubt my own thoughts, is it because they are negative thoughts?

That’s the thing, no one has ever taught us this. At school, our teachers explained the world to us, but little about our thoughts.

If thoughts go through your mind and keep coming back again and again, it ends up feeling like reality. The problem is that negative thoughts are usually not real, but you feel bad even if you have no reason to.

You can deal with this by learning to identify your own automatic negative thoughts, questioning them and changing them. Learn to take control of your mind and work on your mental health!

What are automatic negative thoughts (ANT)?

Your thoughts, your inner dialogue, affect how you feel and how you act. The value you give a situation affects how you see it, and it makes you live it in some way, emotionally speaking.

Therefore, you need to learn to identify your automatic negative thoughts. Thoughts that do not adapt to what is happening and make your feelings more intense and recurring than what the actual situation requires.

This type of cognition is related to what we have already talked about in other articles, to what makes you feel bad emotionally: Irrational thoughts and cognitive bias.

Distorted or automatic negative thoughts differ from person to person, which means that they are very unique and specific. Besides, they are discreet and spontaneous and appear without you being aware of it.

It is difficult to identify them as a threat when they first appear. Furthermore, you can actually believe in them without questioning them.

Types of automatic negative thoughts

Now that we have established what they are, you need to know the different forms they can take to learn to identify your own automatic negative thoughts. In reality, we all have them. In addition, you can not control these thoughts when they appear, so all you can do is ask them questions and change them.

To do so, you need to identify them as soon as you can. It is not easy, but it is certainly possible. The idea is that you learn to balance what you are thinking, take a step back and see it all from a different perspective. Ask yourself if things really are the way you first perceived them.

In other words, you need to learn to be more realistic. These are the types of distorted thoughts you may have:

Magnification or minimization

This puts more emphasis on the negative aspects of your life, and considers the positive ones less important.

Black and white thinking

Black and white thinking sees situations as extreme contrasts : “all or nothing”, “black or white”, “perfect or wrong”, etc. This is instead of understanding that there are shades of gray between the extremes.

Arbitrary conclusion

Jumping to conclusions without having enough evidence is the main classification of arbitrary conclusions.

Overgeneralization

Adhering to a general rule based on a very specific situation, and applying it in all other situations that are very different, is overgeneralizing.

Mind reading

Mind reading is thinking that others will react negatively to what you do or say, without having proof that it is a possibility.

Should / must statements

This is the feeling that you or everyone else is committed to doing certain things. When things do not actually happen as you think they should, you feel bad, especially in relationships in your personal life.

Personalization

This tends to use what happens to others on yourself, in an excessive or inappropriate way.

Emotional reasoning

Emotional reasoning is believing that things are the way you feel they are.

An example to help you identify bad thoughts

Let us show an example to understand the scope of these seemingly harmless thoughts.

After a meeting, a colleague says, “Hi, I liked your presentation during the meeting, even though I saw that you were a little nervous.” In this situation you can think “I am the worst, everyone thinks I’m a disaster… I’m doing everything wrong! I’m sure they do not want me to speak during a meeting again. “

In this example you can see a bit of everything:

• Magnifying the negative and minimizing the positive : You did not even stop to think about the compliment of your presentation.
• Black and white thinking: “I’m doing everything wrong,” “I’m the worst,” instead of realizing that there are levels to the situation.
• Arbitrary conclusion : “I’m sure they do not want me to speak during a meeting again” and mind reading, “Everyone thinks I’m a disaster,” etc.

Of course, this is not easy, but if you try to identify your negative thoughts, just as in the example, you will see how your thoughts often turn a grain of sand into a mountain without you noticing it. This step is fundamental as you learn to control your thoughts and emotions. Do it for your health!