Escaping negative thought cycles can be a considerable challenge. When you struggle with negative thoughts, they can overwhelm you and leave you unable to see the positives in life. To help you out, here we’re going to share five tried and tested tips for reframing negative thoughts.
Mindset
by Carole Dweck
⏱ 13 minutes reading time
🎧 Audio version available
Assume Positive Outcomes
Do you find yourself often assuming adverse outcomes and the worst-case scenario? This is one of the most common types of negative thoughts. You might believe that you know the result of an event before it even happens. However, by reframing these thoughts and assuming positive outcomes, you start to approach life differently. You can’t possibly predict the future or what will happen to you in life, so tackle any challenge that comes your way with a positive mindset.
Stop Taking Things So Personally
We often think that everything that happens close to us is related to us in some way. While you may think that someone else’s words and actions are aimed at you, a lot of the time, it’s a reflection of how they are feeling. They are unlikely to be reacting to something that you did, and it’s not good to blame yourself for everything that happens around you. We aren’t always the root cause or reason for bad things happening in other people’s lives, and you need to reframe your thoughts to remind yourself of this.
The next time you find yourself taking the blame for something that’s happened, remember that it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with you. The world doesn’t revolve around you, and your actions don’t always impact other people’s lives. Consider what other events in their life could have caused this event to take place, and remember that their reaction might not be a result of anything you have done. We are all fighting our own battles, so you don’t need to take the blame for other people’s actions and mistakes.
Focus On The Bigger Picture
When you are focused on a test or event that’s coming up soon, you might think that the world will end if you don’t do as well as you’d like. When you start to jump to conclusions about how one small moment in time could impact your life, you begin to think negatively and overthink even the smallest of conversations or situations. Instead of making a mountain out of a molehill, try to avoid overreacting to more minor issues. Just because something happened once, it doesn’t mean it will happen to you again.
To reframe this type of thinking, make sure you focus on the big picture and heading in life. Setting long-term goals is an excellent way to achieve this, as you’ll realize that the smaller moments in life won’t stop you from reaching this goal. Move on from any past mistakes you’ve made, and realize that you can’t change the past, but you can learn from it. Take the time to learn from your past, and you’ll be able to forgive yourself and start to think more positively in the future.
Fact-Checking
Fact-checking is a tool that anyone can use when they are overthinking a situation. For example, if you are worrying about something you did or said yesterday, think clearly about the facts instead of making up a situation in your head. Our minds like to play tricks on us, and we often overthink situations to the extent that we make up events that didn’t even happen. A great example of this is worrying about getting sick. By fact-checking the real symptoms you are experiencing or reviewing previous test results, you’ll be able to reassure yourself that you are healthy and well and can stop obsessing about potential future medical concerns.
Is This Helpful?
Negative thinking is generally unhelpful. If you find yourself constantly thinking negative or unrealistic thoughts, ask yourself: is this helpful? When the answer is no, it’s time to push those thoughts aside and reframe them into something more positive. We only have a limited amount of time and energy each day, so make sure you aren’t wasting it on what-ifs and imaginary scenarios.
Many people ask themselves whether a statement is true, but sometimes it doesn’t mean it’s helpful to you even when something is true. Focus your energy on valuable thoughts, which will move your life forward. Just because something is true right now doesn’t mean it can’t change in the future. Remember, your life can change in an instant, so you never know where life is going to take you. Overcoming your negative thoughts is one of the first steps towards positive change, and it’s something that you can achieve by following the tips we’ve shared here today.
Negative thoughts can wreak havoc on anyone. The sooner you can gain control over your thoughts and start to think more positively, the more likely you’ll be to cultivate a more positive mindset. We recommend trying these five tried and tested tips to reframe your negative thoughts so that you can start to enjoy life again and reduce your worrying. While some level of anxiety and worry can help push you forward in life, when you are constantly thinking negatively, it will hold you back from achieving your dreams. It’s not an easy task to reframe your thought process, but it’s certainly achievable. So the next time you find yourself stuck in a negative thought pattern, try these techniques and see how much better you feel.
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