Anxiety is a feeling of fear or concern that something bad may happen. It can cause things like headaches, sweating, or a feeling that you just can't relax. Everyone feels anxious from time to time. But if anxiety interferes with your daily activities, talk with your doctor. You may need professional counselling and/or treatment with medicines (such as antidepressants or anti-anxiety medicines).
Negative thoughts
When you have anxiety, negative thoughts can increase your worry or fear. Changing negative thought patterns may not be easy. But our minds can be trained to be stronger and healthier—just like a muscle. A technique called thought reframing can help.
Thought reframing is the process of replacing negative thoughts with more helpful thoughts. It's a skill taught in a type of counselling called cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). There are also books and apps that can help you learn thought reframing on your own.
With practice, you can get better at choosing healthier thoughts to replace negative thoughts.
How can you use thought reframing when you have anxiety?
Negative thoughts can increase your worry or fear. But with some practice, you can learn how to shift those thoughts into healthier ways of thinking. Here are some tips to get started.
Be on the lookout for common types of discouraging thoughts.
When you know the common types, it's easier to spot them when they happen. Here are a few to watch out for.
Ignoring the positive. This means that you filter out the good and focus only on the bad. For example, you might focus only on critical feedback from your supervisor and ignore feedback about your strengths.
The "should." Thinking that you or other people "should" or "have to" do something is a sign of this type of thinking. For example, "I have to be in charge of things, or I can't relax."
Overgeneralizing. This means taking one example and saying it's true for everything. Watch for words such as "never" and "always." For example, "I always act awkward on first dates. I'll never find anyone who wants to be with me."
All-or-nothing thinking. This is also called black-or-white thinking. It means that you think of things as either all good or all bad—with no options in between. For example, "If my job review isn't perfect, I'll get fired."
Assuming the worst. For example, "I have a headache. What if it's a brain tumour?"
Practice reframing your thoughts.
Notice the negative thought. Don't be hard on yourself because you had the thought. Negative thoughts can pop up sometimes before you can stop them. But learning to recognize them can help you shift them.
Question the thought. Ask yourself whether it's helpful or true. Your answers can help you find more accurate ways to think about the situation.
Replace the thought. Ask yourself "What's something that's true and more helpful?" Use your answer to replace the discouraging thought. Here's an example:
You might first think: "I get so nervous speaking in public. I just know that people are thinking about how bad I am at speaking."
You can replace that thought with: "I'm probably better at public speaking than I think I am. The last time I gave a talk, people applauded afterward."
Use a thought diary.
Write down negative thoughts throughout the day. Then rewrite them to be more encouraging. Over time, choosing more positive thoughts in the moment will get easier.
Clinical Review Board All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.
Clinical Review Board All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.
Start by following one simple rule: Don't say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to anyone else. Be gentle and encouraging with yourself. If a negative thought enters your mind, evaluate it rationally and respond with affirmations of what is good about you. Think about things you're thankful for in your life.
Break down the emotions you're experiencing and try to identify what you're telling yourself about the situation. Find an alternative to your original thought. For example, instead of jumping straight to, “This is going to be an epic failure,” try something along the lines of, “I'm genuinely trying my best.”
The 5 Cs are complaining, criticizing, concern, commiserating, and catastrophizing. With even a baseline understanding of these words, you can see how they can lead to cycles of misguided negative thinking. And what's interesting is each has a slightly different version that is healthy and helpful.
Negative thinking can have several causes, including personal factors such as undergoing a traumatic experience. That said, scientists are finding evidence that certain mental health disorders play a critical role in the habitual formation of dark or negative thoughts.
It's natural to feel more pessimistic when things aren't going so well in our lives. Regular or even constant negative thinking can also be a sign of anxiety, depression, stress or low self-esteem. This sounds a bit strange, but negativity can also be contagious.
Anxiety is known to make negative thoughts easier for the brain to remember. The more time you spend going over a particular thought, the more it is likely to stick in your mind. Anxiety makes people worry about what it means to them, and this again leads to more focus on the thought and making negative assumptions.
Think of anxiety like a disease - it wants you to experience anxiety more, so it brings the thought back into your mind to cause you that anxiety. Anxiety also changes the way your brain works so that it's harder to have positive thoughts, which also pushes these unwanted thoughts back into your mind.
When a worrying thought comes up, actively switch your focus to what's around you. Focus on breathing, and what you can see and hear. If you have more time or the problem is constant, then a mindfulness or mediation app may help.
Introduction: My name is Arielle Torp, I am a comfortable, kind, zealous, lovely, jolly, colorful, adventurous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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