First of all, what are negative thinking patterns? It’s those recurrent thoughts related to worries, fears, or even violent situations that stop you from being able to focus on any other things
So, how do you effectively handle negativity? Well, here are few things you can do whenever you’re feeling low:
1. Watch your body language
Take a moment to focus on your posture. Are your arms crossed? Shoulders slouched? If that is the case, you are probably having negative thoughts. And inadequate body posture can lower your self-esteem and lead to a lack of confidence and, in that emotional state, it is natural to start having negative thoughts.
A good way to to fight that and feel safe is to open up your posture, straighten your back and smile more. To correct your body posture seems so little, but it’s a big first step that will make you feel much better. There are studies to prove that a wide and confident posture can, indeed, improve your mood and confidence. So, why not try it?
2. Don’t be afraid to talk about what worries you
Sometimes, a negative thought pattern occurs just because of fears and worries that start piling up and you are holding on to them.
It is not good, or healthy, to keep things only to yourself. Talk to your mother, a good friend, or in case you’re not able to do it, a therapist. Putting your thoughts into words makes them smaller once you are able to shape them, put them out there, and make them a little smaller just by saying them out loud. You will be putting things into perspective and that will help you deal with them in a much clearer way.
Everyone experiences a negative thought cycle once in a while, and this occurs due to either fear of the future, which can cause anxiety or guilt because of the past. And the thing is, neither of them are under our control. You can shape a better future, for sure, but not control it. You may think of what could have been done better in the past, but there’s nothing you can do to change it!
3. Empty your mind, Change focus
It is quite difficult to maintain calm when your mind is running 300 miles an hour, making it extremely hard to control your thoughts, especially negative ones. If you are able to stop for a minute, it will help immensely. Maybe you don ‘t have time to stop completely what you’re doing, but there’s always time for a bathroom break. And this on itself can help you change focus When you come back, tackle your problem from a different angle. If you can, change tasks for a while. If you are able to have a coffee break, do it, and invite a co-worker to do it with you, that will also help. The important thing her is to force yourself to stop and bread, even if for only a couple of minutes, and it’s not about fighting what you’re thinking, and making it stop, that happens naturally when you substitute your negative thoughts, for positive ones. For example, if you’re having an extremely hard day at work, take a break, go to the bathroom and think about the giggling of your children, or your last vacation, or that time you almost lost your breath laughing with a friend.Make sure you focus on the things that are positive in your life, and not on that hard day. Remember it’s just a bad day, not a bad life”.
5. Practice creativity
When a negative thought pattern arises, try focusing on practicing creativity. Some tasks like painting, planting, drawing can have huge positive impacts. When we create something new, fun or beautiful, our mind gets excited along the process and it might give you a sensation of pride for the accomplishment.
Exploring your emoticons through creativity can act as a distraction and improve your humor. It can even be very liberating. Painting your emoticons on a canvas can break the dynamics of a negative thought pattern leading you to be able to identify your thoughts, break them down, understand them and ultimately, control them.
6. Take a walk
People in general underestimate the simplicity and power of just going for a stroll. They believe the negative thoughts will just follow because they are inside your brain, and you can’t run or hide from them, but although that is partially true there are also negative thoughts that are a product of our environment. If you’re surrounded by negative people, or working on a difficult project, it’s likely that you’ll eventually become negative as well. To stay away from negative people and environments can help immensely. Go for a walk around the block, to a park, a museum, a nice store or a coffee shop you like. Make sure to erase any negative influence and environment any time you start sensing a negative pattern starting to settle.
7. Understand what makes you happy
Sometimes, on our daily routine, we lose track of the good things that we have in our life. To avoid that, you can train your mind to focus on everything good that happens around you. Make lists of what you are thankful for, no matter how small it may be. List things that make you feel good, like an activity, swimming, working out, learning something new, etc. We all have good things in our lives, sometimes they are right in our face and we missed them, open your mind to be able to feel good, thankful, and to see the positive and be in sync with what you already have, and not only with what you want to achieve.
Projects are good, but they might get your mind off the present. And there is no better place to be then here and now.
And don’t forget, being thankful is more than proven to be the best attitude to have a happy and positive life!
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