If we talk about eliminating thoughts, the first question is to analyze the content of the thought and its consequences to see what is disturbing us. This evaluation must be done the first time the thought appears and it does not have to be repeated when it arises again later.
This analysis is of great importance, since knowing the problem we are facing is the best way to establish the most appropriate action strategy to face it. The common goal of all applicable techniques will be to remove obsessive thinking from conscious attention and ensure that we focus on the experiences of the present moment.
In this Psychology-Online article, we will see the fundamental aspects to know how to eliminate negative thoughts of your mind.
Index
- Normalize negative thoughts
- Learn not to distort reality
- Establish an action protocol
- Stand out from your thoughts
- Thinking stop
- Distraction activities
- Relaxation techniques
- Eliminate inappropriate behaviors
Normalize negative thoughts.
You have to try that negative thoughts interfere as little as possible using appropriate psychological techniques. It is about accepting the thought without dwelling on it. It is shown that with acceptance The effort used to combat it decreases and this results in a decrease in emotional tension and unpleasant physical sensations.
Even so, it must be borne in mind that if the emotional charge that accompanies the thought is intense it will be very difficult to recover a stable and balanced psychological state, since it requires enormous effort and great mental strength, as is the case with post traumatic stress disorder.
Learn not to distort reality.
How to eliminate negative thoughts? If the content of the thought is distorted or deformed, it is necessary to eliminate the distortions and errors that mask it and to undertake a cognitive restructuring That it helps us to reach a conviction of what the true reality is and that its consequences are not as we think.
If we can achieve a high degree of conviction of the "abnormality" of negative thoughts, it is very the intensity, frequency, or duration of concerns associated with themselves.
Establish an action protocol.
When negative thoughts deal with a future event, a protocol for action must be established. This protocol should establish the measures to be taken and actions to be taken to try to avoid it or at least minimize the expected negative consequences. Some examples of this may be making an effort to obtain financial resources for the future, leading a healthy life to prevent possible diseases, acquire the necessary training to face future challenges, seek social support to face the loneliness, etc.
Having the protocol established provides a sense of control and confidence in oneself to deal with any event and negative thoughts that may appear. In this article, we tell you how to have confidence in yourself.
Differentiate yourself from your thoughts.
To eliminate negative thoughts it is advisable to establish a distinction between thinker and thought, that is, between my conscious I, capable of generating a multitude of different thoughts, and the concrete thought that is taking place in my mind.
If I am clear that the thought is not me, but it is a phenomenon of the mind different from me, I will be able to handle it better. In this sense, the English psychologist Johnson-Laird (1988) points out: “Being able to be aware of yourself is like becoming your own observer of your actions, thoughts and emotions, in a way that allows us to modify our way of doing, thinking or managing feelings".
By virtue of this approach, it is advisable to establish an empathic dialogue with oneself. For example, we can ask ourselves the following questions:
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of keeping those thoughts?
- Does it have any use for anyone?
- Is it worth it to focus on it and put other, more pleasant thoughts aside?
Thought stop.
One way to remove negative thoughts from your mind is to stop thinking. It is effective in disturbances of low emotional intensity. To help bring about a stoppage of thought, you can inflict physical pain such as a pinch, a slap on the face, a prick, etc. Pain focuses all the attention of the mind. Then there is expressing a knowing smile (self-empathy), a phrase like “that's it, now to something else”And pay attention to what was being done.
As a longer term strategy, we can imagine a symbol, visual or verbal, that causes us aversion or rejection and associate it with that negative thought. The intention is to remove it from the mind. Specifically, this is a form of learning by classical conditioning and it must always be the same symbol so that learning and subsequent habituation can take place.
Distraction activities.
How to eliminate negative thoughts? the appropriate psychological technique must be applied depending on the chosen strategy. If when this type of thought appears circumstances allow it, it is advisable to do activities that encourage attention to elements of the environment to replace in our mind this thought with another more pleasant and rewarding experience.
They can be activities related to sensory stimulation, such as listening to music or watching a movie, exercising, talking with a friend, etc.
Relaxation techniques.
Train the mind in techniques such as meditation, yoga, or mindfulness will serve to gain self-control over our thoughts and learn to focus attention on other areas when recurring thoughts appear. Humor is also a good antidote to dismantle these types of thoughts. In this article, you will find information about different relaxation techniques for adults.
Eliminate inappropriate behaviors.
An effective method to eliminate negative thoughts are behavior modification techniques. It is also interesting developactivities in the various areas of life that are rewarding for you and reinforcing them through self-reward. In this way, the negativity generated by negative thoughts is counteracted.
In conclusion, it has been shown that the psychological suffering generated by negative thoughts lacks clear positive compensations, that is, of a valid justification, so it is absurd to accept it mind. The ideal is to overcome it and engage the mind in more useful and rewarding thoughts that allow us enjoy the present moment.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to eliminate negative thoughts, we recommend that you enter our category of Cognitive psychology.
Bibliography
- Flavell, J. H. (1993). Cognitive development. Viewfinder. Madrid
- Wegner, D. M. (2002). The illusion of conscious will. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press
- Wells, Adrian (2009). Metacognitive Therapy for Anxiety and Depression. New York: Guilford
