It is possible that you are one of the people who inadvertently have hundreds of negative thoughts in mind every day. They are intrusive thoughts that enter your mind uninvited, but that condition your mood and even your daily decisions. What would you say if we told you that your negative thoughts can become positive and improve your life from this very moment? You just need to have a little willpower and be aware of the thoughts that invade your mind every day. Sounds easy right? It is!

Recognize negative thought patterns

Negative thought patterns are repetitive and useless thoughts. They directly cause what we could describe as “negative” emotions (unwanted or unpleasant) such as anxiety, depression, stress , fear, unworthiness, shame, etc.

Once we learn to recognize and identify negative thought patterns as they occur, we can begin to move away from them. This process of moving away from thoughts is called “cognitive defusion.” In cognitive defusion, we learn to see the thoughts in our head as just that, just thoughts. It is not the reality that you feel when you get frustrated because of those thoughts, because you merge with them (cognitive fusion).

Do not merge with your thoughts

When you don’t merge with your thoughts then you can stop taking your negative thoughts too seriously. You can listen to them and then assess if they are valuable and useful and if they are not, allow them to leave your head in the same way that they have entered. Don’t think your thoughts are “the absolute truth ” because they are not.

Understand your thoughts as fragments of language that pass through the mind, moving in the same way that clouds move across the sky. You are the one who chooses how to respond to these thoughts.

Untangle your thoughts

To untangle thoughts or enhance cognitive diffusion easily and quickly, the first thing to keep in mind is that it is totally normal to have negative thoughts from time to time, but that you are responsible for how to act on them. There is nothing wrong with you if you have negative thoughts … it is evolutionary, we all have them because we have evolved by being attentive to problems and dangers, so most of us have a mind prone to negative thoughts, to keep ourselves in check! except! But since they do not make us feel good, it is preferable to change them to the positive ones .

The problem is not that we have negative thoughts. The problem comes when we believe that our thoughts are true. When you are no longer entangled in thoughts, they lose their control over you and lose their power to generate unpleasant emotions. The ability to recognize useless thought and walk away from it is incredibly liberating. It can change the quality of the whole day and indeed the whole of life.

Stopping Thinking Doesn’t Always Work

There are those who bet on the arrest of thought but it is not always effective. When a person tries to stop negative thinking, they give it their full attention to eliminate it, but the opposite effect is achieved: reinforcing it. When negative thinking is interrupted, the rebound effect is achieved: more and more appear.

Ideally, stop thinking about these negative thoughts to reduce the impact they have on you, but if you try to eliminate them from your mind you will only be giving more power in your mood and therefore you will end up having more anxiety . Instead, the best thing to do is to distract your mind with something else, accept that you have negative thoughts and allow them to pass through your mind without affecting you in the least. Distract your mind and you will realize that almost without realizing it, those thoughts are ceasing to affect you, you are managing to control them and that they do not bother you! 

Elle Mcdonald

I am Elle Mcdonald Specializations in Psychology . Graduated in psychology from the University of Tennessee in 2000. Diploma of Advanced Studies in the Department of Personality, Evaluation and psychological treatments with excellent results.

First Level of Master in Clinical Psychology at the Center for Behavioral Therapists (recognized with a scientific-professional nature by the College of Psychologists)

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