Written by: Shae Goodell, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
What is the one thing that can sabotage your health, relationships, career, and overall well-being? Just ONE negative thought. That’s right, just one negative thought can start a tailspin.
We all experience negative thoughts and emotions at one point or another, but how can we effectively deal with them? It is important to address these thoughts and emotions in a healthy way that allows us to keep going and achieve our goals.
In this article, we are going to explain more about negative thoughts, why it is important to understand them and their impact, and more importantly, what we can do about them with a simple five-step system you can start right now!
A Thought is Not Just a Thought
Thoughts are defined as instantaneous, habitual, and nonconscious and they affect a person’s mood and actions. On average, individuals have 70,000 thoughts a day. The real question is, are these thoughts helping you or harming you?
Studies show that most thoughts have the potential for harm because 80% of them are negative. Since an overwhelming majority of thoughts people have are negative thoughts, the term “automatic negative thoughts” has been coined, aka ANTS. Even worse, 90% of these thoughts are repetitive. It is like an automatic negative soundtrack in your mind playing from the moment you wake up until the time you go to sleep ‒ sometimes even in your subconscious as you sleep impacting sleep quality and dreams!
Having an average of 56,000 negative thoughts a day sure can have an impact on our health and well-being.
“On average, individuals have 70,000 thoughts a day. Studies show that 80% of those are negative. Even worse, 90% of them are repetitive.”
This is especially impactful when you consider our brains are hard-wired to scout out the bad stuff and retain the “bad” memories. The brain is more likely to recall negative thoughts (and memories) than positive ones. This is called negative bias.
The brain, the amygdala to be precise ‒ uses two-thirds of its neurons just to detect the negative. This was an important evolutionary necessity to keep us alive over millions of years, but how is it harming us in the modern world today if two-thirds of your motivation regulator ‒ the amygdala ‒ is designed to focus on negativity?
Why “Just Being Positive” Doesn’t Work
Unfortunately, just “being positive” is not the cure. It can actually be harder, and for some nearly impossible to shift into a positive state of mind as a way to combat negative attention bias.
Why is this? Positive thoughts operate on the more surface levels of consciousness but unfortunately, the negative thoughts, negative self-talk, and negative thinking live in the deeper subconscious mind. This is why the term “toxic positivity” may have gotten so much attention recently. The cure for negativity is not just being positive.
Instead, we need to engage with practices that don’t just stop negative thoughts but work to heal the root cause and rewire the brain to build new neural pathways that give our automatic negative thoughts, saboteurs (whatever you want to call them) less power and influence over our lives.
Why It Matters
Over the last decade, there has been an overwhelming amount of research, and a growing body of evidence in the fields of positive psychology, neuroscience, brain health, the stress-disease connection, and mind-body medicine. We’ve heard from thought leaders like Dr. Daniel Amen, Shirzad Chamine, Dr. Gabor Mate, psychologist Arien Mack, and Irvin Rock.
Mate showed us that stress (often caused by negative thoughts) is responsible for chronic health and disease conditions including everything from chronic stomach pain to hypertension and even cancer.
We’ve learned from Amen and Chamine, that we are not stuck with the brain or the mind we have. Thanks to neuroplasticity we have nearly unlimited potential to rewire our brains ‒ our operating systems ‒ for the better and create healthier brains through nutrition and lifestyle choices and practices that don’t just treat symptoms but work to heal the root cause of the automatic negative thoughts ‒ the physiology, the mind and the brain itself.
We have learned from researchers and psychologists, Mack and Rock, that negative bias may be more aptly coined “negative awareness bias”. Their research on “in attentional bias” indicates that our bias toward negativity is so strong because that is where we choose to focus. Essentially, if you only focus on the negative that is all you will ever see.
Awareness
The negative thoughts we have on an hourly, or daily basis are part of our overall operating system ‒ just like a computer we have been wired from a young age with our personality, habits, beliefs, and patterns. It is important to keep this in mind, not all ANTS you experience are your fault, or your programming, they have likely been passed down from previous generations.
That is the good news and I hope inspires a newfound sense of self-compassion for yourself.
Along with self-compassion, it is important to actively engage in self-awareness. Awareness is the entry point to reprogramming your mind, and your brain, so you can eradicate those pesky ANTS that impact your health, happiness, and well-being every day. If we are not aware of our negative thoughts we have no way of interrupting them, they just flow over us and through us impacting how we see ourselves, others, and the world around us.
When you first begin the journey of eradicating your ANTS, awareness of all the daily negative thoughts may bring up feelings like sadness, shame and even anger. This is when it is important to invite in self-compassion to support you. Kristen Neff is an excellent resource on self-compassion.
6 Steps to Eradicate Negative Thoughts
If you are struggling with ANTS (automatic negative thoughts) regularly you’re not alone. Negative thinking can be one of the most damaging habits to your mental health, making it difficult to remain focused and content.
So now we come to the REALLY FUN part where you can learn a simple six-step process to break free from these ANTS, and not just eradicate them but rewire your brain in the process.
This method has been developed after years of study and working with hundreds of clients with Positive Intelligence, Brain Health, Neuroscience, and NeuroEncoding as a coach and integrative therapist.
Here they are:
Pattern Interrupt with BioFeedback - when you notice yourself having an ANT (first of all, great job with self-awareness) now interrupt the thought by changing your physical position (stand up or move your body) and rub your hands together (biofeedback)
Feel the ANT - notice how sensations change in your body as this ANT arises, do you feel a pain, a tickle, a heat sensation
Name and Frame Your ANT - what kind of ANT are you feeling, there are 9 most common, download my free guide for a complete list.
Get Curious & Challenge Your ANT - “Get curious not furious” with your ANT, remember these ANTS have served you in some way up until now. Ask a simple question “is this true” or what else could be true?
Claim Your ANT - What we resist will persist, so it is important to claim your ant and even have gratitude for it! As mentioned, it has served you in some way up until now. Through acceptance, we give those pesky ANTS less power and control over us so they don’t consume so much of our attention or energy.
Replace & Implant with RWT - RWT stands for “Resourceful Wise Thought”, something you can repeat to yourself to contrast with the energy of the automatic negative thought.
When you engage with this simple six-step method of eradicating your automatic negative thoughts you are engaging in a new practice. Just like when you lift weights to get stronger, or want to run further or faster, it takes time to build up the muscle to meet your goals. Overcoming your negative thoughts is the goal, the practice is this simple six-step process, the muscle is in your mind and you are rewiring your brain, and building new neural pathways in the process. The more you do it, the more successful you will be.
Take it A Step Further
If you want to learn more about automatic negative thoughts and how to rewire your brain to live free of this negative energy in your life, and your brain, get my free guide.
When you download my complete guide to ANTS you can:
Dive into each of these steps in more detail
Learn the science behind this system
Identify the nine most common ANTS
Get seven specific biofeedback practices you can do in 10 seconds or less
Get a handy worksheet to guide you through this simple 6-step system so you can personalize it to your needs
These six simple steps have helped clients reduce the PRESENCE and POWER of ANTS in as little as 6-8 weeks with regular practice, focused attention, and most of all compassionate self-awareness.
Wrapping It All Up
Overall, dealing with negative thoughts takes time and effort, but it is essential for achieving greater mental health and well-being for yourself so you to live life to its fullest potential! Start by using these tips next time the ANTS come creeping in and before long, you'll find yourself taking control back from those unhelpful inner critics and reclaiming peace & contentment within your own mind!
Shae Goodell, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Shae Goodell is an Integrative Therapist and Coach and the founder of True Evolution ™ a trauma-informed, soul-centered personal development system rooted in Body-Based Therapy, Somatics, Ayurveda, Energy Medicine, Brain Health, and Neuroscience, delivered in private, small group, and retreat experiences. She believes in a whole-person approach to care and is changing how we think, talk, access, and optimize our mental, physical and spiritual well-being. Shae is working to promote Inner Peace for all and raises money in support of equity and accessibility to services through the Bliss Warrior movement, an inspiring collection of apparel and merchandise.
