![]() Bring awareness to the specific thoughts that you're having and begin to question them. They say things like, you don't know what you're doing, you need to try harder, there's no time, I can't do it, no one appreciates me, and all kinds of other nonsense that's just not true. It feels crazy because the thoughts you're paying attention to are mostly noise. Your thoughts and emotions are the fuel that drives the train. Just stop for a moment and take a mindful breath before moving on.Ģ. Inject tiny pauses throughout your day like when you first wake up, before you put your car in drive or each time you wash your hands. Try walking at 75% of the speed you normally would. Physically slowing down your pace can help you slow down your thoughts which will allow you to begin working with them. Awareness is a vital and a potent first step.īut awareness without aligned action will only get you so far.ĥ Ways to Step Off the Train and Reclaim Your Power:ġ. Possible thoughts: There's not enough time, I have to do everything myself, I'm not safe.Īt the moment you WAKE UP to the fact that your thoughts are taking you for a ride, you're halfway to freedom. Your body is speaking to you and it's saying that something is out of balance. ![]() Your shoulders are tight, your lower back aches, your knees are sore, your digestion is off. Possible thoughts: It's not fair, if only they would _, nothing works out for me, it shouldn't be this wayĥ. It feels like you can't catch a break or get ahead. Everything is wrong! Your partner is a jerk, your kids are brats and your job sucks. Possible thoughts: It's so hard, I can't do it, I don't want to, I need help.Ĥ. (Note: this could also be a sign of physical/mental illness and if it's prolonged you should seek professional help). You don't want to get out of bed, you need substantial amounts of caffeine to keep going and you're counting down the hours until bedtime. Possible thoughts: I can't help it, it's not my fault, you're wrong.ģ. It feels challenging to deal with people. You know you shouldn't be so easily upset but you are. Your fuse is short and you're ready to blow. Possible thoughts: I can't, I don't know how, I'm not good enough.Ģ. You feel small and powerless, you're questioning yourself and your abilities, you don't feel like showing up and participating, your sense of confidence is gone. If you can, make an extra effort to believe these facts.Here are 5 Signs You're All Aboard the Crazy Train:ġ. Does evidence back up your negative thought?īefore concluding, consider asking, investigating, and questioning yourself and others to ensure you have as many facts as possible. It might not feel natural, but eventually, it may become a spontaneous habit. Searching for positive aspectsĮven if it’s challenging at first, what if you find at least three positive examples in each situation. Instead of labeling yourself “lazy” because you didn’t clean today, consider: “I just didn’t clean today.” One action doesn’t have to define you. Once you focus on your thoughts and recognize a pattern, consider replacing statements such as “always” and “nothing” with “sometimes” and “this.” 3. If an event is upsetting you, step away from it if you can and try to focus on what you’re telling yourself about the event. You might not be able to change the events, but you can work on redirecting your distorted thoughts.īeginning with small changes can be helpful. Meanwhile, try to remember that it’s not the events but your thoughts that upset you in many instances. Reaching out to a mental health professional can help if you feel the process is too overwhelming. This makes it more challenging to reframe. Still, cognitive distortions sometimes go hand in hand with mental health conditions, such as personality disorders. Most irrational patterns of thought can be reversed once you’re aware of them. ![]() How to stop cognitive distortions and negative thinking Then you can reframe and redirect your thoughts so that they have less of a negative impact on your mood and behaviors. You can learn to identify cognitive distortions so that you’ll know when your mind is playing tricks on you. This happens particularly when we’re feeling down.īut if you engage too frequently in negative thoughts, your mental health can take a hit. When you treat these negative thoughts as facts, you may see yourself and act in a way based on faulty assumptions.Įveryone falls into cognitive distortions on occasion. Our thoughts have a great impact on how we feel and how we behave. In other words, cognitive distortions are your mind convincing you to believe negative things about yourself and your world that are not necessarily true. It consequently leads you to view things more negatively than they really are. A distorted thought or cognitive distortion - and there are many - is an exaggerated pattern of thought that’s not based on facts.
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