Our mind is a powerful place! It houses our thoughts which we use to understand events, sights, sounds, smells, feelings, and the world around us. As a result, it’s important to make sure we are regularly cleaning our minds of negative thoughts that, when not checked, can begin to influence how we interact with the world. Do you find it hard to stop thinking negative thoughts? If so, A new season is a perfect time to discuss different methods of spring cleaning negative thoughts and keeping our minds healthy.
Automatic Thoughts and Unhelpful Thinking Habits
According to the APA Dictionary of Psychology, automatic thoughts are instantaneous, habitual, non-conscious and can affect a person’s daily mood and actions. Sometimes the interpretations and evaluations of our circumstances can be different than what is real because of our previous experiences, how we were raised, and the cultural context we experienced life through. When not regulated, this can lead us to think unhelpful thoughts. The good news is once you are aware of your personal unhelpful thinking habits and negative thoughts, you can begin the process of cleaning them out; below are a few.
Unhelpful Thinking Habits
Mental Filter – Only noticing what fits within our filter of view. Keeping the negative thoughts and dismissing the positive or realistic thoughts.
Judgments – Making evaluations and judgements on ourselves, others, things that have happened, and the world around us instead of leaning into what is true and what we have evidence for.
Mind-Reading – Making assumptions about what others may be thinking.
Emotional Reasoning – Allowing our emotions to dictate reality. “I feel anxious, I must be in danger” or “I feel bad so it must be bad.”
Prediction – Believing we know what will happen in the future.
Mountains and Molehills – Exaggerating the risk of danger, or negative outcomes while minimizing the odds of how things are most likely to turn out.
Compare and Despair – seeing only the good and positive aspects of others and comparing ourselves negatively against them.
Catastrophizing – Imagining and believing that the worst possible thing will happen.
Critical Self – Putting ourselves down, self-criticizing, blaming ourselves for events or situations that are not (totally) our responsibility.
Black and White Thinking – Believing that something or someone can be only good or bad, right or wrong, rather than anything in between.
Should and Musts – Putting pressure on yourself and unrealistic expectations by thinking or saying ‘I should’ (or shouldn’t) and ‘I must.’
Memories – Current situations and events can trigger upsetting memories that lead to believing that the danger is here and now, rather than in the past. Which causes distress in the present.
Stop Thinking Negative Thoughts: Spring Cleaning Techniques
The following techniques may help counteract the unhealthy thinking habits mentioned above.
Fact or Opinion
Ask yourself “is this fact or is this an opinion.” Remember, a fact is indisputable, such as time or the day of the week. An opinion is based on personal perspective such as a color shade “mint green” versus “light green.” If it’s a fact, you can determine your next steps with the information you have available. If it’s an opinion, you can take a step back and evaluate the facts of the situation. This exercise can help to calm yourself down and make sound decisions based on facts and not just opinions.
The Court Case
Another technique to have in your tool box is the Court Case technique. Pick a thought and put it on trial. First, you look for evidence to support the accuracy of the thought. Similar to what you did with the Fact or Opinion exercise, ask yourself; is this thought true? Then, look for evidence against the thought. Is there factual evidence to show this thought is not true? Lastly, review all the evidence and derive a conclusion with a closing statement that is based on sound evidence.
STOPP Technique
Next is the STOPP Technique. If you follow us on social media, you’ve seen this method. Each letter in the word stands for a different exercise. S is to stop and notice the intrusive or distressing thought, image, memory, or trigger. T is to take a breath, O is to observe and describe the feelings, images, thoughts, body sensations, and triggers. P is to pull back and add a new perspective to the situation. What is the bigger picture? During this step, you can even ask yourself some Fact or Opinion questions. The final P is to practice what works. What is the best thing for you to do right now for you, others, and the situation?
Defusing Your Thoughts
Defusing thoughts involves acknowledging the thought as what it is and not reacting automatically. Then, this method encourages you to choose to put focus and attention elsewhere. This can be done by using mindfulness techniques that can help observe words, images, or sensations instead of engaging with them or buying into them.
Give Yourself Time to Clean
Each of the methods we mentioned is good to try out but one may work better for you than another. Give yourself space to figure out what works best for you as you strive to stop thinking negative thoughts. Spring cleaning your thoughts can seem daunting at first but much like cleaning up our physical space, you will feel relief afterward!
This information is very helpful to me
Thank you