How do I prevent negative thinking?

Preventing negative thinking may not be possible. It's like saying "don't think of pink elephants"... bet you'll think of a pink elephant. The difficulty comes in believing negative thinking. A negative thought unchecked can lock into one's mind, and take one down some challenging paths. I try to focus on challenging my thoughts, or coming up with alternatives. I have a type of cognitive behaviour therapy journaling which starts with 1) my moods and actions, then 2) identifies the thoughts that have sparked those moods, 3) my thinking on each of those thoughts, 4) challenging whether those thoughts and perspectives are realistic or replacing those perspectives with alternatives, and 5) how I'm subsequently feeling or acting. I may not be able to control my thoughts, but I work to control how seriously I take them and my responses to them.

Negative thinking is very difficult initially, even asking how you can overcome it and accepting that you do think negatively is a huge step. So give yourself a pat on the back! I find that when I overthink, I think of the worst possible outcomes that have not yet happened, whether that is about interviews, job, school etc. I like to think of it this way, yes the worst possible outcome could happen but the best possible outcome could happen too! If I use the time I have being positive about whatever is going to happen then it might, but if i’m negative about it and spend time dwelling over it now, i’ve already conditioned myself into thinking it won’t work out for me and then when it doesn’t work out i’ll be negative again anyway. It’s a waste of your energy that you could use thinking positively instead!

Quite honestly, you don't. What I do is work past them. So, say it's a rainy day. And you hate rainy days. Well, it helps to make a list of all the pros and cons of rain and rainy days in general. Once you make this list/diagram, it becomes clear that while your feelings are definitely valid, it's important to see the other aspect of it as well. When you do write out all of the pros and cons, it helps to mentally balance the negativity in myself and makes it easier to not let my own negative thinking negatively affect my life.

Dealing with negative thinking is tough! I’ve been trying for so long and I’m still nowhere near perfect but that’s okay! I think when you’re first starting to learn how to deal with negative thoughts, starting small and building up is a good way to minimise pressure on yourself if you don’t get the immediate results you might be after. So maybe start off recognising the thoughts, noting them, learn about cognitive distortions and why you might be having those thought, acknowledging why they’re unhelpful and then reframe those thoughts. We’re always going to have some negative thoughts but practicing mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy techniques can help to manage and minimise. Good luck x

Positive affirmations are a really good starting point! Tell yourself positive things about yourself even if you don’t currently believe those things. This could be “I am strong”, “I am worthy”, “I deserve love”, whatever you don’t believe but still need to hear. This definitely can help eliminate some negative thinking. Always try to find one positive thing in a negative situation. For example, say you had a sports game you were super excited for but then it got cancelled, think about a positive, like how you can now practice something you weren’t sure about before! I hope this helped : )

There are number of ways we can prevent negative thinking. One such way is through scheduling activities. The goal is be distracted from thinking negatively through activities that is goal-oriented or pleasurable. Some example of activities include exercising, talking to a friend we like, and solving problem. These activities can occupy our time and distract us. Another way to prevent negative thinking is through a cognitive restructuring. For example, through reframing, we can use more positive thinkings to outweigh the one single negative thinking. For instance, we might found the food we just ate in a restaurant to be bad. We might feel down about it and we might blame ourselves for choosing this restaurant. What we can do to combat this negative thinking is to find and think some positive traits and things around us.

First think about what is triggering it, is it about the same thing over and over or different things at different times or everything. Try to find the pattern of your negative thinking. And start with why on that particular thing you are thinking negatively. Is it too often or normal than average? Does it related to your past experience or from someone you know. Identify the factors which can narrow down and help you to figure out what is triggering it or why are you thinking about it. You could use a diary to write down your thoughts, if you do so, you can find yourself are you having more or less.

I have experienced negative thinking for a very long time. The best way for me was to set positive goals and work on them. This made me feel more at piece knowing that I was doing at least something to reach my goals which made me feel that the outcomes would be more likely to be positive. Everyone always says that hard work pays off, and it is true. You just have to be dedicated and you will start thinking more positive outcomes than negative. This will also increase self esteem which will also help with positive thinking about yourself.

A great way to refrain from getting sucked into the negativity drain is to seek positivity. A great strategy for this is "Counting your blessings", or rather, focus on what is going well for you. I realize, sometimes this can be difficult and a lot of what is considered positive or negative is relative to the person going through the experiences. If it is difficult at first to find positivity in your life, start super small, build momentum, and create a snowball of positivity. Something tiny to be thankful for could be "Hey, I woke up today!" Another thing I like to do is make my bed first thing in the morning. This allows me to think "Hey! I've accomplished something today!" This in turn helps me feel optimistic and more motivated to approach the next challenge of the day. Cherry-pick those small wins of positivity, build the momentum, and you'll find yourself feeling less negative in no time.

There's no logical way to completely *prevent* negative thinking; it's part of human emotion and human nature - who we are. Even those who live in monastic settings or were raised in environments with peace and kindness could become distracted by a rogue, adverse thought. A remedial question could be, "how do I prevent negative thinking from controlling my life?", and that could be approached at several angles. To name some: 1.) acknowledge that you have the negative thought the moment it comes up, rather than letting the residual emotions control you, 2.) question the reasons and validity behind the thought, e.g., cause/effect, whether the intense emotions warrant the cause 3.) Consider other factors in your present environment that have nothing to do with the negative thought, but lack the negative basis of what you're thinking.