Cognitive distortions or commonly known as negative thoughts patterns are the unrealistic ideas of reality and our experiences, it happens when individuals are unable to think in a logical neutral light and fall for overwhelming negativity.
When a pattern develops it gets harder for a person to not fall in that trap of negative thoughts leading to negative emotions and behaviors.
There are many types of negative patterns including some of the following most commonly affecting people globally:
-Over generalization
-Jumping to conclusions
-Blaming
-Minimization of positive
-Magnification of negative
-Fortune telling
-Mind reading
-Catastrophizing
Healthy coping strategies:
In our modern day world, each and everyone of us falls victim to the negative thoughts sometimes in our lives. The important thing is to learn how to cope with them and maintain a balance in our viewpoints when it comes to taking a look at our experiences.
Some of the most effective techniques to help you overcome and cope with the distortions in a healthy way are shared below
- Fixing a time for your negative thoughts is an effective way of dealing with them, it appears to be good for nothing, but finding a time in a day where you tell yourself you are in a safe place and can think all you want helps not to overthink and stay overwhelmed in the negative thinking all day long, it helps our brain to categorize and understand that a specific time is set for it rather than engaging in it all day as it is a creature of habit and learns with a routine and discipline what to do what not do.
- Mindfulness practices keep our minds focused on the present. Its goal is to keep the mind in the “here and now”. Practicing mindfulness activities such as deep breathing, and actively staying in the present moment and experience trains the mind not to fall into the trap of overthinking. Techniques such as counting the five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can touch, two things you can speak, and one thing you can taste, train your mind and keep you grounded in the present saving you from falling in the negative thought pattern.
- Journaling is another strategy to help with negative thoughts. It helps you keep a record of the specific thoughts you are having, identifying your patterns and then replacing them with more neutral or positive ones. It is not an easy task but once you see the results you would be motivated to keep doing it. It is productive as it breaks the cycle and you consciously give yourself a positive counter for the negative thought you are having.
- Relaxation therapy is also important when it comes to dealing with negative thinking. Learning muscle relaxation techniques, practicing meditation, using essential oils, aroma therapy, taking a walk in nature, painting, any activity which engages and relaxes your nerves is helpful.
- Exercising and physical engagement is a quick and efficient way to let your mind rest and let the body do the talking. Physical activity boosts us with a number of positive emotions and neurotransmitters such as dopamine which is the feel good hormone.
- Doing positive self–affirmations on a daily basis is known to help cope with the negative thoughts and increase confidence and self-esteem.
If you are dealing with overthinking or negative patterns of thinking, these coping strategies can help you and if you still feel overwhelmed make sure to seek professional help and support for yourself.
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