Have you heard of Automatic negative thoughts (ANTs)? You may be familiar with them, without even realising. Nod your head if you experience negative thoughts that pop up without any effort from you at all.
If you have been operating on autopilot for a while, you may have established a habit of entertaining automatic negative thoughts (ANTs). They seem to appear out of thin air, coming and going of their own accord. These thoughts can create a mindset that is not constructive, we can get stuck in a cycle of repeating the same negative thoughts, forming habitual neural pathways which are likely to generate new ANTs. Thankfully, you are not your thoughts. Nor do you have to act on them.
Instead, you have the power to choose which thoughts to give power to and the choice to form new, positive neural pathways. The more attempts you make to think positively, the more positive your reality will become. Even the slightest shift in thinking can contribute to a more productive day.
How do you get yourself out of the negative zone?
1. Recognise when you’re giving in to negativity
2. Challenge Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs)
3. Create a balanced thought to combat the negative one
4. Choose to give attention to positive thoughts
3 simple questions you can ask yourself to challenge negative thoughts:
1. Question: Will this matter 1 year from now? 5 years from now?
2. Question: If I look at this situation positively, how is it different?
3. Question: How much power am I giving this negative thought?
Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs)...Do You Experience These?