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How do I prevent negative thinking?

264 Answers
Last Updated: 06/15/2022 at 1:06am
How do I prevent negative thinking?
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
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Evelyn Coker, MSW, LCSW

Clinical Social Work/Therapist

I am down to earth and enjoy working with all clients. I have a special passion to support teen girls and women. My work is nonjudgmental and provides a safe space to grow.

Top Rated Answers
Anonymous
July 7th, 2016 5:14pm
To prevent negative thinking, it is important to notice when you are having such thoughts. We often keep thinking negatively without even consciously noticing. Next step is to challenge your thoughts rationally: Why are you thinking that way? What makes you support your answer? Next part in the plan is to try to assess your faults and flaws and see if there are a chance if improvement. Also, it is healthy to remember we are all just flawed pieces of living being, hence there's no such term as perfect! Be happy the way you are amd see what good you can find even in that negativeness. Again, look for positive aspects in your life, read a lot of positive quotes, watch lots of motivational videos..Hope it will help.
Anonymous
July 13th, 2016 11:19am
Refer the 7 cups guides on Managing Emotions, Grief, Anxiety, Depression, Lonliness, Panic Attacks to learn some nice strategies of dealing with negative thinking. You may not find them anywhere else.
Lesichka
July 27th, 2016 6:58pm
I have personally struggled with my own negativity so much. I forgot how to self talk and hear my own voice without hearing my negative and war faring ego! So much had to be said to myself to stop the negativity voice inside of my head that branches to my mouth so quickly. I am starting to conquer the negativity demon by actually saying the opposite of what is appearing in my head. For example: I want to become a better person and wife. I start saying to myself and also out loud "I will be a better person and a wife by being open minded, caring, respectful, loving, understanding, correctable and moldable". Now where I have noticed that where I struck out constantly was saying this instead : "I WILL NOT be a bad person. I will not be saying mean things. I will not, I will not." When you wish for something you do not want...you end up getting it anyway due to it counter acting the positive! Even when you think you do not deserve to be positive- that is the negative aspect telling you that. Everyone deserves it! Please remember this and steer clear from my mistake.
Anonymous
November 24th, 2017 7:54am
Negative thinking reflects a negative belief, a strong hold on something out of fear and worry. It is the first step if you know you are thinking negative, and celebrate you will be soon out of it. You just need some wise choices and a little practice of making your choice automated so that next time you don't get trapped! What I do is use '5 seconds rule' by Mel Robbins which suggests count 5 4 3 2 1 backwards and then plant a good thought/ incident. Don't wait for more than 5 seconds to start acting.
enigmaticMoment64
July 1st, 2016 12:35pm
A lot of negative thinking is a habitual action. There are thought cycles that repeat themselves once they are triggered by a certain event. Recognizing them and catching yourself when you go down a common route "wait, I already know that one!" can help you to end them early. The other huge part is to make a conscious effort to introduce more positive, proactive thinking. You can do this by a number of ways, and the most important part is that think something positive so that too can become a "habitual cycle" eventually. It can really help to think of it as talking to yourself as you would to a friend - would you beat your friend down if they had a bad day? Or if something didn't go the way they wanted to? Wouldn't you rather encourage them and empathize with them? It can also help to actively use affirmation, that is positive phrases you have for certain situations. It is good to think of a few beforehand so you can just use them when you need to. "Even if I feel tired and sick, I still love myself". (even if you aren't fully believing it right now) It can also help to see "failures" as chances for action. Positive thinking is not thinking everything is good - it is about making the best out of the situation. Think about what you can control in your life.
JennMarie2
March 22nd, 2020 8:19pm
Negative thoughts can be a big burden in our day to day lives. Although it is hard to prevent negative thoughts altogether, one of my favorite techniques to deal with negative thoughts is to redirect yourself whenever you feel the onset of these negative thoughts and feelings. So when you catch yourself starting to have the negative thoughts, whatever they may be, you can train your brain to recognize the thought, and then do something else. For example, the way I use this theory is when I catch myself having these negative thoughts I straighten up my room. If it doesn't need straightening then i vacuum the house. Simple things like that can help you to train your brain to move away from the negative thoughts.
Michaelangilo
October 11th, 2016 7:36am
To avoid thinking negative, you have to get in touch with your feelings - If you feel sad, angry, jealous or something of the sort because of a thought - You know that the thought is negative, at that moment you think about the best happy thought you can, something that makes you positive- a laughing baby, a funny moment, or being grateful. It is not hard but not easy also - But once you a hang of it, it will give you wonders.!!
HiddenSoul1714
December 29th, 2017 8:11am
One way that can help is when your mind seems to wander off into a negative view, look at the situation in a bigger perspective and list all the positives. Another way you can try and completely prevent it is to look at everything in an optimistic light. When something bad happens, smile and tell yourself you can do it. If you fail in something, tell yourself that what mostly matters is you get back up.
SMStar
July 13th, 2016 2:50pm
1) Stop thinking in extremes 2) Stop over-generalizing the negative 3) Don't minimize the positive 4) Stop mindreading 5) Stop taking all the responsibility 6) Stop forcing your own rules on life 7) Stop making stuff up and believing it
chiotchae
September 7th, 2016 3:27pm
It's easy for us to get side tracked and think negative. It's hard to think positive sometimes; however if you believe in yourself and tell yourself that life goes on, you can get through it! We should always look at the bright side of things, because negative thinking will only make us lose hope and bring us down. Instead of constantly thinking about a mistake you made and filling yourself up with regret and sadness, think of it as a tool to help you become stronger and knowledgeable. Just like that, you can try thinking about the good side of things
Anonymous
January 29th, 2017 6:48am
Every time you have a negative thought you combat it with a positive thought. Do not let your mind get overrun with negativity - use positivity as a weapon. Negative thinking is something that you acquire over a period of time thinking negatively, and in order to combat it you must you positivity. I find that surrounding myself with positive quotes, items that make me happy, or talking to someone I trust helps to distract me from negative thoughts when I'm not feeling well enough to fight back. If you want to fight the darkness you turn the light on!
Anonymous
April 9th, 2020 6:41pm
It is no secret that negative thinking is part of almost everyone’s life. For some reason, it seems it is easier to think negative thoughts, than to think positive thoughts. Some techniques i have read about and tried some are: Practice becoming aware of when these thoughts come up. When we try to ignore negative thoughts, they don’t go away, they continue to pop up. To counteract them, recognize them. When catching yourself thinking negatively, consciously, try to think of something else, something positive and uplifting. Think often about the goods things you have in your life, and less about the bad things. Look at the filled part of the glass, not at the empty part, even if the empty is greater than the full. Align your thinking with your actions so that you dont have time to dwell in the negative thoughts.
PeacefulFlute74
June 22nd, 2016 4:55pm
I found that learning about Learned Helplessness and Learned Optimism helped me tremendously. I couldn't just eliminate my negative thinking, I had to learn what to replace it with. I had to learn what healthier thinking would look like to know what to do instead.
Lizzy013
July 15th, 2016 10:44pm
To prevent negative thinking, identify three positives for every negative. By forcing yourself to come up with positive outcomes, it allows you to see the larger picture that may be blocked by negative thoughts.
supportivebutterfly1
October 11th, 2017 1:39am
Negative thinking is a cycle. I have found the key is to imagine your thoughts pass by like clouds, or imagine throwing your "negative or worry thoughts" into water and letting it wash away. The more you think about them, the more they reappear. Whatever thoughts you are having, no matter how strange or scary they might be, I promise someone else have felt that way, and they delt with it, as can you.
oliviaheretolisten
March 30th, 2018 10:05pm
Understand that you are an endless being of possibility. The possibility on one hand, of reinforcing your negativity, or on the other hand, to prove every ounce of your body's doubt wrong.
Anonymous
September 22nd, 2019 2:49pm
Surround yourself with things that make you happy, and that bring you joy. Deconnect with negative people and find a small thing, like a quote or a song, that will cheer you up when you think something negative! For example: whenever you feel like a sad or negative thought crawls up in your mind, don't try to passively get out of it. Rather actively put your mind to something positive. Create art, do sports, listen to the "Happy" playlist on spotify. Create something and surround yourself with happiness and joy. Find things that interest you and invest your energy in this.
ListeningOak
December 23rd, 2016 8:42pm
First acknowledge that you are having negative thoughts, you can't being to prevent something if you don't accept that it's something that is occurring. Second you create a replacement system, when faced with an unpleasant thought you consciously replace it with a more positive thought. This can be as simple as imagining an image you love until your mental voice stops or forcing it to tell a different narrative, replacing "I couldn't" with "I tried hard, now I'm going to succeed because of that gained knowledge"
sereneHoney26
August 18th, 2016 5:20am
Always remind yourself, negative thought doesn't help you in problem solving, it will cause the situation become worst. Therefore, please stand up and be rational, think what can you do to solve the problem or make bad situation become. Better. Feel free to chat with me. Thanks!
Anonymous
November 14th, 2019 12:44am
Try hanging out with people, try not to be alone with yourself. Try talking to anyone, even an adult, or maybe right down to your pet if there isn't anyone, then get a helpful therapist. Negative thoughts never escape, especially when your moody feelings penetrates the mind into thinking your a failure, your not good enough, you need to end it all, the pain and suffering is terrible...You know there is a reason for your life, not to be worrying about some stupid thoughts. There are things to look up to like schools, colleges, jobs, love, money, and mostly yourself...Once you get out of the "lifesucksphase" and your mind is fully developed, you will figure out your story to your life is just the beginning.
swooned
May 31st, 2019 5:39pm
In my opinion, it is not possible for a person to be positive all the time. Negative things are just as much a part of life as positive things are. It might help to start with identifying negative thoughts, and then voluntarily choosing not to let them control you. It might seem very hard, but if you try, you can get into the habit of not letting negative thoughts affect your physical/mental/emotional health in a very bad manner. On a more practical level, it is necessary to stay physically active. The more productive you are, the lesser chances you will have to go into that vicious spiral of thoughts that accompany negative thinking.
Anonymous
June 1st, 2019 7:40pm
I understand it can be really difficult to prevent negative thinking, but there are many ways to prevent it. First of all, it's a good idea to say good things about yourself. What we think in ​our ​minds will eventually become what we believe. That's why it's important to tell good stuff about yourself! For instance, remind to yourself something that you did good! Moreover, once you start thinking negatively, try to distract yourself. It's like a trap! Try to watch a funny video, movie, talk to someone you trust about what's bothering you, go for a walk, take a hot bath and do some self-care.
ashouldertocryon8
June 23rd, 2019 8:40pm
Often preventing negative thinking will make it worse. The best way to cope is to acknowledge the negative thoughts and try to work through them. This had been really effective for me. It can also be helpful to work through this stuff with a counselor or therapist. I found that working through the negative thoughts with someone you trust is really helpful and can not only help keep the negative thoughts at bay, it can also help widen your mind and make you think more broadly. It can help you think about the 'why'. Why you may be feeling these negative things.
Anonymous
June 26th, 2019 5:17am
Negative thinking Is something that most of us do without acknowledge but that's not a good thing ,because our thoughts has a great effect on our lives.positivity is a really good thing.The universal law of attraction which has been scientifically proved says that if somebody keeps thinking about something constantly the universe will provide them support according to what they think. But if we keeps thinking about negative things constantly the universe in return would provide us negative results. That's why positive thinking is such an important thing. Try to concentrate on your daily activities well and try to be positive about every thing you do. believe in yourself no matter what. And the moment you get a negative thought suppress it by using your positive energies .
genuineNight42
June 27th, 2019 8:49pm
By stop validating yourself by what other people may or may not think around you! Negative thinking usually incurs due to how people behave, interactions with them, and opinions of other people. The minute we start validating ourselves by our own sets of principles, the whole outcome of life will change. Negative thinking doesn't develop itself, however it does evolve. But did you ever stop and think, its not the things in your room that gives you a reason for being a pessimist. It's the network of people around you. Is it really important to care what anyone will think of you, if you think it is. Wait and analyze a situation, where you disappear. How much would that person care then?
Anonymous
July 7th, 2019 8:26pm
I don't think negative thinking is always preventable, but we can learn how to be more in-control of it. We may have a "negative" feeling, which comes automatically. Sometimes, this leads to a negative thought. We can keep ourselves from focusing on the negative thought if we look back to the emotion. What is the emotion trying to tell us? Even "negative" emotions still have a job to do. Anger might tell us that someone has crossed a boundary. Sadness might tell us someone hurt us. Sometimes if we can figure out what the emotion is trying to tell us, we can try to change that situation that is bothering us, or if it is not something we have control of we can attempt to accept it. Sometimes we can't always figure out a reason for our emotions, and that's ok too. Sometimes all the emotion needs is a little attention and observance, and then it will calm and fizzle out on its own. We just have the watch the negative thinking when we find ourselves "stuck" on an idea or thought loop over and over. If we keep revisiting the idea too much, it probably means some sort of action is needed.
Paris03
July 26th, 2019 3:16pm
Surround yourself with positive energy. The people who you communicate with daily have an impact on you, also the words you speak and the music you listen to. Listen to something motivational, or a word of prayer (if you're religious) and surround yourself with people who are vibrant and who look out for each other. Here's something basic I recommend: Every morning you wake up, go in the mirror and say something positive about yourself (even if it's the same thing every morning. Speak it into existence! I also recommend trying to find something you like and channel all your negative energy towards it.
Anonymous
September 19th, 2019 7:13am
Try meditating🤗and do things that make you happy so that they can distract you.And remember to say positive affirmations.And spend time with family and friends.Do the things that make you happy all the time.Celebrate your achievements no matter how small they are.Do not put too much pressure on yourself because that’s the first step to living a healthier life.Self care is the basic of positive thoughts.So if you love and appreciate yourself you are more likely to think about the wonderful things and you can look at life in a different way.So anytime you have negative thoughts just treat yourself a little.
Jenn20
February 16th, 2020 4:58am
Oof I can relate to that a lot!!!!!!!!!!!! I think you should write your thought down to get them out of your mind and to see what you have been thinking on paper. I think you should ask yourself why are you thinking this way. Is it something you learnt from childhood? Did you parents do the same thing to you? I think also speaking to a counselor or someone like that is helpful too! ( I know for me, it was because of my childhood experiences. I took all that to be current self and that's caused me to be the way I am now. But I know negative thinking isn't healthy at all if you are doing it all the time for no reason)
BabyyTyy10
February 22nd, 2020 9:20am
Have you heard the saying that a whole ocean of salt water cannot sink a ship, unless it gets inside, well it's the same for you, the negativity of the world shouldn't bring you down, unless you allow it to get within you. I know it's hard to stop, but for this you must build your walls high and structure strong. The key is happiness. People misunderstand the meaning of this word but in reality it's quite simple. Happiness is not about others, jobs, education, relationships, family. No. Happiness is about you. About how you embrace it and how much you appreciate yourself. Happiness is about you. It always has been.