- [Narrator] Hey Psych2Goers,
have you ever spent nights
being plagued by negative thoughts?
Perhaps you get insecure about certain aspects of your life
or feel like something is about to go wrong.
These constant negative thoughts can drive unnecessary fear
and hinder you from being your best self.
So to help you conquer this,
here are six ways to overcome negative thoughts.
(gentle music)
Number one, recognize cognitive distortions.
Do you have a tendency to think in extremes?
Perhaps your friends didn't reply to you immediately
and you assumed it meant
they don't wanna be friends with you anymore,
or maybe someone made a comment about you
and you took it to mean that they hate you.
This is a type of cognitive distortion
known as black and white thinking,
and it can greatly harm your mental health.
Remember, your mind is so powerful
that it can convince you of something
that isn't necessarily accurate,
which can reinforce negative thinking.
This is why it's important to make an effort
to be aware of such thoughts and distortions,
so you can start to challenge these thoughts.
Number two, building distress tolerance.
How do you respond to stress?
Distress tolerance is a person's ability
to manage their internal emotional state
and response to self inducing factors,
which can include negative thoughts.
This requires the ability to take a step back,
pause for a few moments or a few days,
to recenter yourself and then take action.
Keeping calm in the face of stress
doesn't signify nonchalance towards the problem
or that you are suppressing your feelings,
but instead it allows you to feel
in control of your emotion and behavior.
Instead of letting your emotions control you.
Some ways to help you build distress tolerance
is to be aware of what stress feels like in your body.
This may be labored breathing, tension in your neck or back,
sweating or clenched fists.
These symptoms are normally felt
before action is taking place, in between the stimulus,
what is happening and the response, how you act,
You should take a moment to regain control of your body
and thoughts, and later make a decision
on how to move forward.
After all, you have the power to decide
if you wanna act in accordance
with your temporary emotions and feelings,
or if you wanna act based on healthy logic, your values,
and what's in your long-term best interest.
Number three, changing the perception
of the problem or reframing.
Linda and Charlie Bloom MSW suggested that another great way
to overcome negative thoughts is by reframing the problem
from one that is negative to one more hopeful.
One way of reframing is by redefining a problem
as a challenge, for example,
instead of feeling defeated or powerless
because you have to give up your dream school
due to financial problems,
you can try to apply for a scholarship.
Look for financial help from appropriate institutions
or perhaps work part-time while studying.
Reframing problems gives you power
because you are owning your problem
instead of letting the problem own you.
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Number four, self-soothing coping skills.
Another way you can overcome negative thoughts
is by applying self-soothing coping skills.
These skills are the first aid for stressful thoughts.
Examples of skills are A, affirmations.
These are short and powerful words you can tell yourself
to assist you in having positive thoughts.
For instance, I may not be in control of this situation,
but I have control over myself and that is enough.
B, deep breathing.
Have you noticed that when you get upset,
your breathing automatically becomes more rapid and shallow.
Deep breathing can help counter this
and make you feel more relaxed.
C, replace thoughts with cognitive abilities.
If you feel that your thoughts overwhelm you,
try to put them aside for a little while
and distract yourself with other cognitive based abilities,
such as learning a new task, doing crossword puzzles
or Sudoku and D, replace thoughts
with grounding physical activities.
According to a psychosomatic literature by Wong,
triggering thoughts that activate
the fight or flight response
can be reduced through positive physical touch and pressure.
Some examples you can try include counting your breath,
bringing attention to both of your feet
and noticing how they feel on the ground.
Placing a hand on your heart or touching something soft,
like your pet's fur or a fuzzy blanket.
Number five, release judgment.
Do you have some brutal opinions about yourself?
Sometimes, no matter how successful
or happy you seem externally,
you may still hold on to destructive
and judgmental thoughts about yourself.
You might compare yourself to your ideal version of yourself
or to other people and feel like you fall short.
Because of this, it's important to learn
to let go of such judgment, even if it's hard to do,
it's definitely possible with some practice.
And in time, you may find yourself
more at peace with yourself.
And number six, express your thoughts
and feelings in a journal or with people whom you trust.
Can you talk about your feelings
or do you tend to bottle them up?
When you start to constantly ruminate
over your negative thoughts,
it can start to negatively impact your day to day life.
For this reason, it's important to find healthy ways
to express your thoughts and feelings.
Perhaps you can find a close friend or loved one
to talk about it, or you can write them down in a journal.
If you're not too fond of writing,
you can also try out many different kinds of journaling
such as visceral journals,
where you create sketches and drawings,
or you can record or dictate your thoughts
to a phone recorder.
If you find this soothing,
check out Endel in the description box below.
Have you tried any of the tips we've mentioned?
Let us know in the comments below.
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The references and studies used in this video
are added in the description below.
Thanks so much for watching and we'll see you next time.