Get rid of negative thoughts: This is how you deal with them

Negative thoughts slow you down, reduce your enjoyment of life and can make you sick. We have some tips for you on how you can get rid of negative thoughts.

“I’ll never pass the final exam in my life!”, “He definitely doesn’t like me!” or “It’s clear that she didn’t get the promotion!” – all of these sentences are examples of negative thoughts that affect us can be a heavy burden over time. It’s not that easy to break away from such beliefs. Anger, sadness and envy often resonate.

However, if we constantly have long-term thoughts that humiliate ourselves and take away our joy in life, we not only miss out on many beautiful moments in life. Our health can also suffer from such a destructive mental attitude.

Here you will find four suggestions on how to deal with negative thoughts.

Negative thoughts and our health

First of all, negative thoughts are a completely normal part of the human way of thinking. After all, it is almost impossible and undesirable to constantly have positive thoughts. Sadness, anger and fear are also part of the human emotional world and fulfill important functions for us.

However, when negative thoughts dominate over a long period of time, they can lead to a pessimistic worldview that affects our well-being. They can then increase stress, reduce our self-esteem and strain social relationships.

It’s not just your soul that suffers from these negative thoughts if they last for a long time. They also have a damaging effect on your immune system, for example. Netdoktor reports, for example, that those affected by depression or anxiety are more susceptible to contracting infections.

In addition, negative thoughts could increase the risk of developing dementia. This is indicated, among other things, by a 2020 study by University College London. However, this situation has not yet been clearly clarified.

If you are frequently affected by negative thoughts, it is not so easy to get rid of them. Unfortunately, there is no switch to flip when it comes to thoughts. But you can train yourself little by little to give your negative thoughts less power over your life and your feelings and to gain a more positive view of yourself.

1. Against negative thoughts: More self-efficacy

Negative thoughts are often rooted in low self-confidence. Through self-efficacy you can strengthen your self-confidence. You gain self-efficacy by tackling your own projects and successfully overcoming hurdles you have set yourself. This will allow you to look more positively at yourself and your abilities. You often overcome fears this way. For example, you can plan to repair your bike yourself, plan a vacation alone or create your own herb garden on the balcony. Maybe you also want to learn an instrument or a new language?

Reduce negative thoughts with mindfulness

The keywords minimalism and mindfulness stand in contrast to the consumerism and fast pace of our time. They help you focus on what’s important and shed unnecessary ballast. You can adopt a mindful lifestyle both materially and spiritually:

• For example, declutter your apartment using Marie Kondo’s Magic Cleaning method to live a more minimalistic life.
• You can also “declutter” your thoughts by going through the day more mindfully. With daily meditations and breathing exercises, you can always focus on the current moment and observe your thoughts and feelings. In this way, you will also learn to accept your thoughts and emotions and not fight them violently.

Happiness diary for less negativity

Every night, write down three things you are grateful for. Learning gratitude has positive effects on your well-being and your health, according to a 2015 study by the University of San Diego. This means you are less likely to get stuck on your negative thoughts and develop a more optimistic attitude – and even get sick less often.

Nice things to do against negative thoughts

Think about what hobbies or activities make you lose track of time. Maybe you like baking or you love playing soccer with a few friends. Try to integrate these things into your everyday life, especially during the week after work.

In contrast, you should put a time limit on things that you don’t enjoy doing. Social media in particular can promote negative thoughts by constantly showing us supposed ideals and social norms and thus encouraging us to compare. If you notice that social networks are not good for you, then try digital detox and generally put your cell phone aside more often. You can find out more about this here: 7 tips for spending less time on your cell phone.

Tip: The same thing can also be applied to people around you: Avoid people if you feel worse after meeting them than before. Sometimes this also means ending a friendship that is negatively affecting you.

Conclusion: This is how you deal with negative thoughts

It is not always necessary to take immediate action against negative thoughts. After all, things happen in our lives that we don’t always want to or can’t think positively about. So you may be sad because good friends or a partner left you. Or you are angry about the many injustices in the world. Maybe you also feel climate anxiety as the climate crisis becomes more threatening.

This is completely understandable and justified. Even with negative thoughts and feelings, it is important to first accept them. Such thoughts only become problematic when they constantly frighten us, when we constantly humiliate and insult ourselves with them, or when they paint a fundamentally bad picture of our fellow human beings. In these cases, it is worth looking for the causes of these negative thoughts and taking measures to improve self-esteem. Psychotherapy can also help you with this.

Read more on Techzle\.com:

• Stop ruminating: How to interrupt your thoughts
• Find a hobby: 6 ideas with meaning
• Volunteering: Why volunteer work is good for you

Edited by Luise Rau

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