How to Change Negative Thought Patterns
List your automatic negative thoughts., Explore the causes of your negative thought patterns., Form your list into patterns., Determine the consequences., Keep a record of your thoughts.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: List your automatic negative thoughts.
Thoughts are directly linked to our feelings and behaviors.
Thus, our thoughts influence how we feel, which influences how we behave.
All three (thoughts, feelings, and behaviors) influence each other simultaneously.
These ideas are central to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a type of treatment that is specifically used to treat negative thought patterns.CBT is effective in reducing negative thought patterns.
Listing your negative thoughts helps increase your awareness about your thinking, and can improve your ability to change your thoughts into healthier alternatives.
Some examples of negative thoughts are, "I am so stupid, nothing is going right for me, something bad is going to happen, I know I am going to fail." If you are unsure about what some of your thought patterns might be, ask family members or friends if they can point out any thought patterns that you have said to them that they think are negative or unhelpful. -
Step 2: Explore the causes of your negative thought patterns.
Knowing where your thought patterns come from can help you identify why they occur.
It is possible that situations from the past have resulted in your unhelpful thinking habits.
Identify the reasons or situations that resulted in each negative automatic thought.
For example if you think, "I am no good," identify the situations that contributed to this thought.
Certain circumstances may include: my mother told me to get good grades and I didn't, I got fired from my job, my relationship ended, and my friend treats me poorly.
It may also be helpful to then identify when and how these thoughts tend to occur because you can begin to see patterns in your thinking.
What were the circumstances? Who was present? Where were you? For instance, if you sometimes think you are stupid, identify where this tends to occur, who is around typically, and where you are.
You may begin to notice patterns.
For example, perhaps you think, "I am stupid," when you are late for work, at work, or alone. , It is important to first identify the specific thoughts patterns you have before trying to change anything.
Our automatic negative thoughts sometimes develop into patterns of thinking called core beliefs.
These are also called unhelpful thinking habits, which can become ingrained in our mind.Not only are they unhelpful, but these thoughts do not reflect reality.
They are extreme thoughts that do not take into account the many other details that make up the events of life or people.
Write down which patterns or habits you tend to have.
For example, if you tend to think, "I am stupid," this thought would fit into the pattern of critical self-talk.
There are specific types of thinking errors that are common such as:
Catastrophizing is thinking the worst will happen such as, “Something bad is going to happen.” Over-generalizing is making a conclusion about your life pattern based on one isolated incident and thinking, “I always make this mistake.” Mind-reading is thinking you know what others are thinking.
For example, “I know that she doesn’t like me.” Predicting the future is believing you know what will happen such as, “I am going to fail.” Critical self-talk is thinking negative thoughts about yourself such as, "It is all my fault.
I am so stupid." Black and white thinking is where one thinks something can only be good or bad, there is no middle ground.
An example would be if you think, "She is the worst," or, "She is the best," but you do not think, "She can be difficult but she is still a decent person."
Identify why each thought is negative; this helps to get a grasp on why this particular thought needs changing.For example, if you find that your negative thought of “I’m not good enough” causes you to isolate yourself socially, have low self-esteem, or harm yourself in some way
- these are the direct negative consequences.
Identify the negative outcomes that have occurred in the past when you have had this reoccurring thought.
Next to your list of automatic thoughts, simply list the negative outcomes of having that thought.
Do this for every thought pattern you identified. , Use a worksheet to identify your negative thoughts on a daily or weekly basis.
Identify ideas that support the thought, and ideas that do not support the thought.
Use these arguments to identify a thought that is true and more helpful.
For example, if you identified the negative thought of, “I’m not good enough,” ideas that go against this thought would be:
I am worthy, I try my best, I don’t need to be good enough for anybody, I am good enough for myself. -
Step 3: Form your list into patterns.
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Step 4: Determine the consequences.
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Step 5: Keep a record of your thoughts.
Detailed Guide
Thoughts are directly linked to our feelings and behaviors.
Thus, our thoughts influence how we feel, which influences how we behave.
All three (thoughts, feelings, and behaviors) influence each other simultaneously.
These ideas are central to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a type of treatment that is specifically used to treat negative thought patterns.CBT is effective in reducing negative thought patterns.
Listing your negative thoughts helps increase your awareness about your thinking, and can improve your ability to change your thoughts into healthier alternatives.
Some examples of negative thoughts are, "I am so stupid, nothing is going right for me, something bad is going to happen, I know I am going to fail." If you are unsure about what some of your thought patterns might be, ask family members or friends if they can point out any thought patterns that you have said to them that they think are negative or unhelpful.
Knowing where your thought patterns come from can help you identify why they occur.
It is possible that situations from the past have resulted in your unhelpful thinking habits.
Identify the reasons or situations that resulted in each negative automatic thought.
For example if you think, "I am no good," identify the situations that contributed to this thought.
Certain circumstances may include: my mother told me to get good grades and I didn't, I got fired from my job, my relationship ended, and my friend treats me poorly.
It may also be helpful to then identify when and how these thoughts tend to occur because you can begin to see patterns in your thinking.
What were the circumstances? Who was present? Where were you? For instance, if you sometimes think you are stupid, identify where this tends to occur, who is around typically, and where you are.
You may begin to notice patterns.
For example, perhaps you think, "I am stupid," when you are late for work, at work, or alone. , It is important to first identify the specific thoughts patterns you have before trying to change anything.
Our automatic negative thoughts sometimes develop into patterns of thinking called core beliefs.
These are also called unhelpful thinking habits, which can become ingrained in our mind.Not only are they unhelpful, but these thoughts do not reflect reality.
They are extreme thoughts that do not take into account the many other details that make up the events of life or people.
Write down which patterns or habits you tend to have.
For example, if you tend to think, "I am stupid," this thought would fit into the pattern of critical self-talk.
There are specific types of thinking errors that are common such as:
Catastrophizing is thinking the worst will happen such as, “Something bad is going to happen.” Over-generalizing is making a conclusion about your life pattern based on one isolated incident and thinking, “I always make this mistake.” Mind-reading is thinking you know what others are thinking.
For example, “I know that she doesn’t like me.” Predicting the future is believing you know what will happen such as, “I am going to fail.” Critical self-talk is thinking negative thoughts about yourself such as, "It is all my fault.
I am so stupid." Black and white thinking is where one thinks something can only be good or bad, there is no middle ground.
An example would be if you think, "She is the worst," or, "She is the best," but you do not think, "She can be difficult but she is still a decent person."
Identify why each thought is negative; this helps to get a grasp on why this particular thought needs changing.For example, if you find that your negative thought of “I’m not good enough” causes you to isolate yourself socially, have low self-esteem, or harm yourself in some way
- these are the direct negative consequences.
Identify the negative outcomes that have occurred in the past when you have had this reoccurring thought.
Next to your list of automatic thoughts, simply list the negative outcomes of having that thought.
Do this for every thought pattern you identified. , Use a worksheet to identify your negative thoughts on a daily or weekly basis.
Identify ideas that support the thought, and ideas that do not support the thought.
Use these arguments to identify a thought that is true and more helpful.
For example, if you identified the negative thought of, “I’m not good enough,” ideas that go against this thought would be:
I am worthy, I try my best, I don’t need to be good enough for anybody, I am good enough for myself.
About the Author
Brandon Clark
A seasoned expert in lifestyle and practical guides, Brandon Clark combines 11 years of experience with a passion for teaching. Brandon's guides are known for their clarity and practical value.
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