Challenge negative thoughts with evidence You might be able to overcome negative thinking using conflicting evidence. For example, does an unanswered phone call really mean your friend doesn’t care about you? Instead, consider how often they’re there for you. It’s a better way to rationalize...
Psychotherapy: Psychologists may use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) tools to teach people how to challenge distorted or unhelpful thoughts and retrain their brains on the interactions between their thoughts, feelings and acti...
of mind reading; assuming that you know what others are thinking. Any thought is not in keeping with reality and is beyond what is typically experienced given the situation could be described as an “irrational thought.” The challenge comes from how the thoughts may seem rational at the time...
Mindfulness can help you to be more aware of your thoughts and feelings. When your thoughts start to spiral, take a few moments to focus on your breathing. Pay attention to the sensations in your body and the present moment. This can help you to calm your mind and gain perspective. By ...
If you do need to express negative emotions, work on tapering your expression. For example, don't say, "My mom really made me mad today." Instead, say something like, "I'm a little annoyed with my mom right now." 5Challenge irrational thoughts.Negative thoughts are often irrational, and...
Having low self-esteem can affect many areas of life, from relationships to how you perform at work and how you view the future. Low self-esteem can seem overwhelming at times, but you can take steps to boost it, such as paying attention to your self-talk, challenging negative thoughts,...
Create an OCD “worry period,” where you allow yourself a couple of short time periods every day to really worry. This may help you spend a large portion of the rest of your day without worry. Challenge your thoughts by asking yourself things like:Who told me this? How do I know this...
Sunk cost fallacies are a challenge to avoid because you might not be aware it’s happening. You may also fall into beliefs that are pervasive in today’s culture, such as the following: The belief that quitting is for losers Believing there’s no gain without pain The belief that you sh...
The next time you find yourself spiraling into a pit of negativity, take a moment to examine your thoughts objectively. Are they really true and rational, or are they just irrational assumptions and worst-case scenarios? Challenge those negative thoughts with logic and evidence, and replace them...
” So, while severe paranoia can be a key symptom of certain mental health conditions, mild paranoid thoughts may arise on an occasional basis without being part of a mental health condition. Relationship paranoia involves an irrational fear or suspicion that one's partner is being unfaithful or...