How to break Negative Thought Patterns

 What Causes Negative Thought Patterns?

There are numerous ideas as to why humans appear to be hyper-focused on the negative aspects of existence at times. Our society and media frequently emphasize struggle and war. Our evolutionary foundation is founded on the drive to fight and survive. Even modern human history is filled with bloodshed and terror. It's no surprise that we tend to focus on the bad aspects of our surroundings.

What is the root cause of negative thinking? Negative thinking is caused by a complicated network of dynamic factors, thus there is no single fundamental cause that we can point to. The major driver of a negative thought pattern varies widely based on the person engaging in the negative thinking, their specific history, triggers, and present mental health state.

Whatever the underlying cause of our negative thought patterns, we can all take actions to empower ourselves and break free from their impact.

Ways to break negative thought patterns:

Plan your negative thinking - Setting aside time in your day to have negative thoughts may appear counterintuitive, but doing so in a disciplined, routine manner allows you to compartmentalize and move on from your bad emotions rather than wallow in them. Keep a negative thought journal and set aside 10 or 15 minutes each day to simply feel those emotions.

Replace the negative thinking - Replacing negative thoughts is a habit that requires practice and repetition to be successful. You must learn to recognize when negative thought patterns emerge, disrupt them, and replace them with a pleasant or useful thought that you have planned ahead of time.

Respect yourself - According to some studies, up to 90% of "self-talk" is negative. Feel your unpleasant and uneasy sentiments, but don't let them consume you. Instead of condemning yourself, consider yourself as your own closest friend, either a real one or a mental construct. Instead of pitying yourself, imagine how this person would talk to you about your problems and find methods to uplift and encourage you.

Maintain a journal - Keep track of your negative ideas in a journal or document. Write down the thought, then explain why you believe you're having it and any word associations you may have with it. Putting your thoughts and feelings on paper allows you to organize and analyze them more effectively than merely passing them through your mind in circles.

Discover the world's beauty - Breaking negative thought patterns can often be as simple as reminding oneself of the pleasant things in life. Make time for things you enjoy and people you care about.

Be truthful to yourself - Negative ideas and protective mechanisms are frequently encased in complicated systems. For example, if you focus on a parenting blunder to support your excessive and depressing view that you're the worst parent ever, you can avoid addressing the more difficult and serious topic of how you could improve your parenting approach. Allow yourself to ask difficult questions and to be patient and empathetic when the answers are confusing or uncomfortable.

Take some time away from the news and social media - The outside world might be intimidating, especially when you're working on yourself. It's fine to turn it off and enjoy some "me time." An encyclopedic knowledge of current events isn't required, and even in this wired world, you don't owe anyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the price of your own mental health.

Meditation and exercise - Learning how to keep your head quiet and your body active will help you break harmful thought habits. Yoga and breathing techniques are especially beneficial.