How do I prevent negative thinking?

I try to counteract my negative thoughts as soon as I realize I am thinking them. For instance if I go back to focusing on my weight and think about how I feel as though I am "fat", I try to remind myself how strong I am, how I have overcome so much through eating disorder recovery, what my nourished body is capable of, and so on. I try to have the positive thoughts almost lined up in my mind, ready for a negative thought to come through. It has helped me a lot because if I am able to catch it before I go down a dark path then it is easier to stop having those thoughts all together.

Taking some time out and focusing on yourself could be very useful. For example, doing something like meditation, listening to music or cooking can help relieve stress and appreciate the positive things that you might overlook or not see due to negative thinking. Talking to someone you trust or maybe to a volunteer like on 7cups can help too. Sometimes journaling and putting your thoughts and feelings onto paper can help you understand your thoughts and also prevent negative thinking in the future if you can spot any common causes of it.We all at some point probably think negatively, but it’s all about finding out what helps you cope and trying to (if applicable) stop the thinking at the source- I.e- cutting off negative friends or trying to do school work when it’s set to avoid stress and cramming later.

There's no logical way to completely *prevent* negative thinking; it's part of human emotion and human nature - who we are. Even those who live in monastic settings or were raised in environments with peace and kindness could become distracted by a rogue, adverse thought. A remedial question could be, "how do I prevent negative thinking from controlling my life?", and that could be approached at several angles. To name some: 1.) acknowledge that you have the negative thought the moment it comes up, rather than letting the residual emotions control you, 2.) question the reasons and validity behind the thought, e.g., cause/effect, whether the intense emotions warrant the cause 3.) Consider other factors in your present environment that have nothing to do with the negative thought, but lack the negative basis of what you're thinking.

A great way to refrain from getting sucked into the negativity drain is to seek positivity. A great strategy for this is "Counting your blessings", or rather, focus on what is going well for you. I realize, sometimes this can be difficult and a lot of what is considered positive or negative is relative to the person going through the experiences. If it is difficult at first to find positivity in your life, start super small, build momentum, and create a snowball of positivity. Something tiny to be thankful for could be "Hey, I woke up today!" Another thing I like to do is make my bed first thing in the morning. This allows me to think "Hey! I've accomplished something today!" This in turn helps me feel optimistic and more motivated to approach the next challenge of the day. Cherry-pick those small wins of positivity, build the momentum, and you'll find yourself feeling less negative in no time.

I have experienced negative thinking for a very long time. The best way for me was to set positive goals and work on them. This made me feel more at piece knowing that I was doing at least something to reach my goals which made me feel that the outcomes would be more likely to be positive. Everyone always says that hard work pays off, and it is true. You just have to be dedicated and you will start thinking more positive outcomes than negative. This will also increase self esteem which will also help with positive thinking about yourself.

First think about what is triggering it, is it about the same thing over and over or different things at different times or everything. Try to find the pattern of your negative thinking. And start with why on that particular thing you are thinking negatively. Is it too often or normal than average? Does it related to your past experience or from someone you know. Identify the factors which can narrow down and help you to figure out what is triggering it or why are you thinking about it. You could use a diary to write down your thoughts, if you do so, you can find yourself are you having more or less.

There are number of ways we can prevent negative thinking. One such way is through scheduling activities. The goal is be distracted from thinking negatively through activities that is goal-oriented or pleasurable. Some example of activities include exercising, talking to a friend we like, and solving problem. These activities can occupy our time and distract us. Another way to prevent negative thinking is through a cognitive restructuring. For example, through reframing, we can use more positive thinkings to outweigh the one single negative thinking. For instance, we might found the food we just ate in a restaurant to be bad. We might feel down about it and we might blame ourselves for choosing this restaurant. What we can do to combat this negative thinking is to find and think some positive traits and things around us.

Positive affirmations are a really good starting point! Tell yourself positive things about yourself even if you don’t currently believe those things. This could be “I am strong”, “I am worthy”, “I deserve love”, whatever you don’t believe but still need to hear. This definitely can help eliminate some negative thinking. Always try to find one positive thing in a negative situation. For example, say you had a sports game you were super excited for but then it got cancelled, think about a positive, like how you can now practice something you weren’t sure about before! I hope this helped : )

Here's a very cool tip that I recently came across. It requires self-awareness and some determination, but I have no doubt that anybody asking this question already has both of those in their arsenal. So here we go: The next time you catch yourself in the early stages of negative thinking (for example; rumination, worry, anticipatory anxiety, etc.), try to fill your short-term memory with something neutral and arbitrary. For example, rather than allowing yourself to continue going down a path of worry, start counting instead! Start from 1, and go all the way up to 50... or 100... or 250... Or, go from 1-30 and then from 1-30 again. You can also try different sets, like listing colors, or listing months. You could even do these in different languages to add some greater mental exercise in there. As a bonus challenge, you could also combine listing with positive associations by, for example, listing your favorite things - foods, places, songs, films, etc... :) Hope this tip helps some of you out there the way it's been helping me! Love, forestfires87

Dealing with negative thinking is tough! I’ve been trying for so long and I’m still nowhere near perfect but that’s okay! I think when you’re first starting to learn how to deal with negative thoughts, starting small and building up is a good way to minimise pressure on yourself if you don’t get the immediate results you might be after. So maybe start off recognising the thoughts, noting them, learn about cognitive distortions and why you might be having those thought, acknowledging why they’re unhelpful and then reframe those thoughts. We’re always going to have some negative thoughts but practicing mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy techniques can help to manage and minimise. Good luck x

Quite honestly, you don't. What I do is work past them. So, say it's a rainy day. And you hate rainy days. Well, it helps to make a list of all the pros and cons of rain and rainy days in general. Once you make this list/diagram, it becomes clear that while your feelings are definitely valid, it's important to see the other aspect of it as well. When you do write out all of the pros and cons, it helps to mentally balance the negativity in myself and makes it easier to not let my own negative thinking negatively affect my life.

Negative thinking is very difficult initially, even asking how you can overcome it and accepting that you do think negatively is a huge step. So give yourself a pat on the back! I find that when I overthink, I think of the worst possible outcomes that have not yet happened, whether that is about interviews, job, school etc. I like to think of it this way, yes the worst possible outcome could happen but the best possible outcome could happen too! If I use the time I have being positive about whatever is going to happen then it might, but if i’m negative about it and spend time dwelling over it now, i’ve already conditioned myself into thinking it won’t work out for me and then when it doesn’t work out i’ll be negative again anyway. It’s a waste of your energy that you could use thinking positively instead!

Preventing negative thinking may not be possible. It's like saying "don't think of pink elephants"... bet you'll think of a pink elephant. The difficulty comes in believing negative thinking. A negative thought unchecked can lock into one's mind, and take one down some challenging paths. I try to focus on challenging my thoughts, or coming up with alternatives. I have a type of cognitive behaviour therapy journaling which starts with 1) my moods and actions, then 2) identifies the thoughts that have sparked those moods, 3) my thinking on each of those thoughts, 4) challenging whether those thoughts and perspectives are realistic or replacing those perspectives with alternatives, and 5) how I'm subsequently feeling or acting. I may not be able to control my thoughts, but I work to control how seriously I take them and my responses to them.

Be kind to yourself. Please forgive yourself. You are not your negative thoughts. You are strong. You will get through this. And if it comes back to haunt you again, it may be like meeting your ex on a date with your new partner. It may creep up on you and stalk you from the back of your mind. But you will ignore it because you have grown and you have been through so much to let it bother you again. Until then, please be easy on yourself. You deserve good things, you deserve love, you deserve to hope. I hope you never forget that.

What really helps me is stopping for a moment. I try to focus on my body, my thought and the present moment. I calm myself down with breathing (inhale, exhale). Then I try to put my emotions aside for a moment and think of the negative thought. I ask myself if it is really that bad, what are the chances that it will really go as bad as I imagine it could. What can I do to prevent that the results/future event will be a disaster? For example, I prepare better for my presentation, I manage my time in order to have enough time to prepare myself and I remind myself that panicking or imagining the worst case scenario is not going to help. Rather I make a plan and I start dealing with the situation.

I find that when I am having negative thoughts, trying to think of the alternate scenario is helpful. For instance, when I believed I would fail my driver's test and I would have to wait a month before I took it again, I thought about what it would be like if I passed. The great satisfying feeling of accomplishment that would have. Once I was able to focus on that, I asked myself which was more likely and why? It was more likely that I passed because of the amount of time I put into learning how to drive. But even if I didn't the worst case scenario was not has bad as I believed. A month is really not that long. Its all about putting thing in perspective.

To write positive affirmations on my board that is place in my room and look at it everyday especially when I feel negative so that I can feel good about myself and bring back the positivity back that varies in the challenges I face.Looking at these affirmations as well gives me the courage and determination to want to give my ultimate best in every aspect in life as I am someone that gets motivated very quickly when there is positivity radiating from not only the external but mostly internally as that would be the main source of grit,persistence and determination

Start with a gratitude list! Make sure to name atleast 5 different things that you are grateful for every day. Spend time around people who have positive attitudes, read a book about it/listen to podcasts. Try meditating or any other thing that brings you inner peace, as we often notice and appreciate the sunny side more when we feel good. Ask for advice from a friend who's bright, sunny, and who generally has a positive outlook. Avoid people who speak 90% negativity and in turn watch the things you say as well, correct yourself when you think negatively and last but not least try to find one good thing in every negative story/situation.

The first step to prevent negative thinking is to be aware of what sort of experiences or emotions incite these harmful thoughts. Often times, negative thinking seems to come out of nowhere, but once you start identifying potential triggers for this sort of thinking, you are also enabling yourself more control because you can start anticipating these thoughts. Once you are able to anticipate the recurrence of this type of thinking, the best thing to do is to try to break down these types of thoughts by asking yourself: Are these thoughts rational? How do these thoughts make you feel? Are these thoughts facts or opinions? Are these thoughts helping you achieve your goals? If you find that these thoughts are irrational, opinion-based, and aren't helping you achieve your goals, then you start to realize that this type of thinking is not assisting you in advancing yourself towards a happier and stronger self.

Unlearning negative thinking is a journey. It can take a long time so it's important to be kind to yourself and don't beat yourself up if you find yourself thinking negative thoughts. 1. Notice when these thoughts come up and ask yourself "why now?". Again, try not to berate yourself for negative thinking. Try to be curious. You're a scientist observing how your mind works. 2. Write down the negative thoughts. If they are negative thoughts about yourself, challenge them. Try to find evidence that proves them wrong. 3. Ask yourself "when did I start believing this?". 4. Try to replace the negative thoughts with positive ones. The important thing is to keep it realistic. If you're stressed or anxious, things like "everything will be wonderful!" are going to sound hollow. Start with things like "I'll survive this" and "what happens if it goes well?" Once again, it's really important to remember not to be angry or upset with yourself if the negative thoughts persist. It's a journey. It's something you have to practise over time.

Hi! Firstly, I wanted to acknowledge that feeling bad is not always easy, but it is okay to let yourself feel it. It might be uncomfortable and difficult, but sometimes allowing ourselves to have "negative" feelings is okay. Otherwise, you just end up bottling everything else. Once you've accepted your emotions, then it could be interesting to find out what triggers those negative thoughts. Why are you feeling this way? It's okay if it's not for a particular reason too. In the end, thoughts are a bit like passing clouds. If you let them go and not put all your focus on them, they will end up crossing you.

There are a few tips and techniques that you can use to prevent negative thinking. I have listed a few of them below: 1) Try to distract yourself by using meditation or mindfulness thinking. Another method of distraction can simply be to keep yourself busy. You can try reading a book, baking, painting, etc. 2) Try to reframe your situation. This can be beneficial if you find it difficult to distract yourself. Simply thinking about your negative thoughts from a different perspective can assist you greatly. 3)Surround yourself by positive people. This can help you by lightening your mood and decreasing the chance of possessing negative thoughts.

«Negative thinking» is multifaceted. It’s something all people have, even the most positive people. How you see the world/society/yourself/others is how YOU CHOOSE to see them. You can DECIDE see the world as the worst place to be, however this wouldn’t be fair because there so many beautiful places, people, situations,etc. that you don’t take into consideration. One way to prevent negative thinking is to understand that almost everything is not just black OR white. It’s IMPORTANT. Not every situation is positive but it surely has positive parts. The exact same applies for negative situations. Good luck :)

For every negative thought, try and think of 2 positive things. For example, if you are thinking "I am very self conscious today about my body." Try thinking, "I have things about myself that I find beautiful." This really helps me when I have anxiety. Another example is this; instead of thinking " People are judging me and watching me eat this food" think " Everyone is enjoying their food, just like I should be doing. They aren't watching me. " It is natural for people to look around, when there is movement around them. It is just a human thing, I guess.

I know that this is not directly the answer to the question, but what I've found more useful than preventing negative thinking is being curious about it. Thoughts are sentences in our mind that in majority we "inherited" from our environment when we were young - created on the basis of our early experience. When I started learning where my habitual negative thinking comes from, why it occurs and how it was often the only way for me-child to survive, It was much easier to let go of it and replace it with more adequate one. It's been a really interesting journey for me and changed a lot in my life. Maybe this way could be useful for you too.

I have had a similar problem in the past. So this might sound pretty obvious, but look for the positive things in a situation. It actually is pretty effective. For example, instead of thinking about all the people that might bully you at the new school you are going to go to next year, think about all the new people and friends you can make there. Doing this will help you feel more positive and prevent your negative thinking. It will take time, patience, and hard work, but it will be worth it in the end. Hope this helps! :)

Surrounding yourself with the right people plays a big factor into positive thinking and a positive mindset. When walking into a new situation that you find negative, instead, ponder on what could go right and how you can make sure that it does go right and that it won’t go wrong. Having a support team can also help too. Being around others who want you to succeed and give you advice on how to be the best can help tremendously. These people will encourage you, provide tips and tricks, give personal stories that maybe give you a leg up, and believe in you for the better.

Negative thinking seems to come when I'm tired, stressed, hungry or have had a negative interaction with someone else. The first thing I do is work towards meeting my basic needs. If I'm in a negative mood because I haven't eaten in a while, I try to remedy that as soon as possible. If I'm tired, I think, "wow I haven't been sleeping well, I need to be well rested so I don't get these negative thoughts." If I'm overall stressed, I think about what I'm thankful for or think of a way to decompress to reduce my stress level. If I've had a negative interaction with another person, I give myself the space and time to think through the interaction and assess what bothered me about it. By having a strategy for each of the possible reasons that lead me to negative thought patterns, I can regain control over the situation and get back on track with positive thinking and actions.

To prevent negative thinking does not happen over night it can take weeks months and maybe years it is our will and actions that will determine your thinking try saying 3 things that make you happy everyday you wake up and when you go to bed write down things you want in life things that make you Courageous and joyful. Negative thinking can happen to anyone it all depends on your way of thinking not everyone has the same ideas,thoughts,intentions,wishes and ect... Preventing negative thinking is not just something anyone can do at times it takes sacrifice such as waking up early,working out, jogging,attending groups,attending classes that can help others and yourself

Sometimes it is hard to prevent negative thinking. Sometimes those thoughts just pop into your head out of nowhere, and suddenly distract you from what you’re doing. It is easy to let those thoughts distract you, and ruminate for a long time. While you cannot prevent the initial thought, you can prevent the thoughts that come after the original thought. Instead of thinking about your negative thought, instead say, “that was odd, I know it’s probably not true, so I’m not going to focus on it.” Prevent rumination, and try to move on with your day. Don’t let one thought spiral out of control