According to Brain Facts, every day our brain processes 70,000 thoughts. Wow! That is a lot of thinking. But in those thoughts, if we get caught up in the majority of the ones that make us feel anxious or sad, then we prepare for a hard day ahead of us.

When we have a thought and we put importance to this thought, then everything in our reality will change according to the thought.  We can have a good or a bad day. That is the power of our minds.

However, that does not mean all thoughts are true and we have to believe them.

You see, our thoughts can either hold us back or move us forward. Our thoughts create our feelings, our feelings create our behaviors, and our behaviors strengthen our thoughts.

So, let’s take a look at negative thoughts for a second.  When I think of negative thoughts, I see some small little bugs make their way into our minds and if we allow them, they will start to crawl all over and eat all the positive thoughts away. Not a pretty picture to imagine, eh?

These types of insects are called no other than, ANTS (Automatic Negative thoughts.)

They are negative insects that pop out of nowhere, triggered by a negative event and are mostly inaccurate.  Let me give you an example. I recently went through all papers to throw out and I saw a diary of mine with phone numbers from years ago.

As I looked through it, I came across a gentleman who used to visit our business on Howard Avenue. He was in his 70’s back then and he used to bring me lunch. I even have a picture with him.

So, I decided to call that number and when I heard him say, “Hello,” I knew it was him. I remembered his voice.

Long story short, he could not remember who I was, as it was 16 long years ago. So, he could very well be in his 90’s today.

I wished him well and moved on. I could have been down that he forgot about me, but I wasn’t. I was more focused on him and his well being. I was hoping he was doing well.

If I would have felt down, negative thoughts would have popped in. But I looked at the situation in a different, positive, and rational way.

This is why it is important to not let negative thinking (ANTS) find you.

With that being said, there are several types of Automatic Negative Thoughts. Let us identify them and I will give you examples with healthier and more rational thoughts that you can use.

1) Overgeneralizing

This is where you draw your own conclusions based on a past event. You tend to use words like “Never” and “Always.” You will take that bad experience from the past and you will generalize it to future experiences.

Irrational thoughts by Mike: “I did not make the basketball team .There is no point in trying out again. I will never be good at anything. I always mess up.”

Healthy thought by Mike: “Michael Jordan was cut from the basketball team, but he never gave up. And today, he is known as one of the greatest basketball players. If I keep practicing and never give up like my hero, then I can be a great basketball player too.”

2) Catastrophizing or Magnifying and Minimizing

This is where you take a bad situation and make it like it is the end of the world and the worst thing ever. You make a mountain out of a molehill and you keep dwelling on it weeks after it has passed. You exaggerate the negative event, or if it even is a negative event.

Irrational thought by Sarah: “Oh my God, I just tripped at a party and I’m completely mortified. People must think I’m so clumsy and stupid. They will probably not want anything to do with me. I am going to go home and cry.”

Healthy thought by Sarah: “In one month is this really going to matter. People are more absorbed in their life and would probably forget. Plus if they want nothing to do with me because I tripped, then something is wrong with them, not me.”

3) Mental Filtering

This is where you pick out every negative detail or tiny mistakes and exclude any positive.

Irrational thought by Bret: “I got 99 Percent on my test. I did not get 100 percent. I can’t believe it .I worked so hard. I can never get perfect on anything .What a failure.”

Healthy Thought by Bret: “Although I did not get perfect, 99 percent on my test is beyond excellent. My teacher said I got the highest top marks.”

4) Jumping to Conclusions

There are two types of jumping to conclusions.

The first one is Mind Reading.
This is where you know what someone else is thinking without any evidence whatsoever.

Irrational thought by Jessica: “I sent a text to my best friend and she never responded back to me. She must not want to be friends with me. Maybe she thinks I’m a loser and I’m so pathetic. Maybe she thinks I’m not good enough. Forget her.  She is so arrogant and such a narcissist.”

Healthy thought by Jessica: “My friend did not respond to my text. I wonder if she is okay. Maybe I will give her a call to find out. I have never done anything wrong that would question our friendship. So, why should I worry?”

The second type of Jumping to Conclusions is Fortune-telling
This is where you foresee a negative future for yourself. You have predictions that something bad is going to happen and you think that what you are predicting is based on facts. But in reality, they are irrational and not realistic.

Irrational thought by Brian: “I just know I will never get this job. I will probably find someone else. Maybe I’m not good enough for them .Or maybe that person is better than me. I have nothing to offer them anyway. Why try and hand in the resume here?”

Healthy thought by Brian: “I’m a very hard worker and I know in order for me to get this job, I must be confident. But most importantly, I must have self confidence in my abilities. I am a worthy person and I know I am worthy for this job.

“I will be myself and share with them the many attributes that I have and why I believe I’m good enough for this job. If I don’t get this job, my worth does not decrease one bit. It just means that I was not fit for this job. But out of so many jobs out there, someone will say YES to me. Never give up.”

5)  Emotional Reasoning

This is where you think that just because you feel something to be real or true, that it is. Especially if negative.

Irrational thought by Joanna: “I just feel like I’m a failure or I feel like I’m stupid and worthless. Therefore I’m.”

Healthy thought by Joanna: “When I feel this way, this is my negative mind talking to me. I’m separate from the lies of negative thoughts. My negative thoughts distort my reality. I’m not a failure. I have accomplished so much and I’m not worthless to other people. They value me.”

6) Labeling

This is where you tend to use negative words to describe yourself, such as “LOSER,” “FAILURE,”   “IDIOT,” etc.

Irrational thought by Peter: “I lost my wallet. I’m such an “idiot.” How can I be so “careless” and “stupid?”  “I hate the way I am.”

Healthy thought by Peter: “I lost my wallet. These things happen, so there is no point in belittling myself because that will just make me feel bad about myself. I will just try to remember where I last put it. No point of getting upset. If I can’t find it, it is not the end of the world. I will have to figure out what needs to be done now.  First thing is to cancel my credit cards, etc.”

7) Personalizing

This is where you think that you are responsible and to be blamed for circumstances that are not in your control.

Irrational thought by Caroline: “My husband divorced me because I was not a good wife. It is all my fault .I don’t blame him for wanting to leave me.”

Healthy though by Caroline: “There have been a lot of factors that played a role in our divorce. But I think it is a bit extreme to say it is my entire fault.  I did my best at being a great wife and I will stand by that. We just didn’t share the same feelings anymore.”

8) All-Or-Nothing Thinking

This is where you go to the extremes. There are no shades of grey. In your mind, you are either a success or a failure.  A good person or a bad person.

Irrational thought by Tim: “I stole money from the church donations. I’m such an evil person.  I’m the worst person in the world and I’m just horrible.”

Healthy thought by Tim: “Yes, what I did was wrong and nobody should steal. I have never harmed anyone, so I’m not evil or the worst person in the world.  But, I did wrong and I made a bad choice. I feel guilty. And that means I’m a good person.  I must return the money to the church and tell them what I have done, sincerely apologize, and face the consequences for my actions.”

So, there you have it my lovelies!

You must practice challenging any types of irrational thoughts that cause you to feel down. They are just thoughts. I have found that CBT therapy was very helpful in alleviating my negative thinking in the past.

CBT (Cognitive behavioral therapy ) focuses on challenging and helping you change any distortive thoughts and limiting beliefs that you have about yourself and the world. And you turn them into better and healthier thoughts that can alleviate anxiety and make you feel happier.

Please know that we are all here for a short time and we must not focus on the thoughts that make us feel hopeless and helpless.  Instead, we must fight and destroy these thoughts. Changing these thoughts will immensely change your life for the better.

So, please take that first courageous step and say that you are not going to give in anymore to these ugly thoughts. Your life is just as valuable and important as you are. Don’t give a second on these small insignificant ANTS. Let them crawl back out, just as they came in.

Sending you all much love.

God bless you and never give up.

Email: dannygautamawellness@gmail.com

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