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...
5Challenge irrational thoughts.Negative thoughts are often irrational, and can inhibit a can-do attitude. Negativity can convince you that you can't do something. When you feel an irrational thought creeping in, stop and challenge it. Acknowledge the thought is not a true reflection of your cap...
Finally, I started to challenge my irrational thoughts. Whenever I felt like I was obsessing about the past, I would ask myself why I was overthinking it. Then, I would focus on the facts and try to come up with a logical explanation that allowed me to move forward with my life. ...
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...
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...
Another strategy for overcoming fear is to reframe our thoughts and beliefs about the situation. Instead of catastrophizing or imagining the worst-case scenario, we can focus on the positives and envision a successful outcome. We can also challenge any irrational beliefs or assumptions that may be...
Training your mind to challenge irrational thoughts and replace them with more accurate thinking is extremely difficult, particularly for people who suffer from depression. But the reward justifies the effort you will have to put into it. Instead of walking around feeling unhappy and that the world...
Challenge the fear of judgment: Recognize negative thoughts for what they are—just thoughts. In reality, people are more likely to think about what others think of them than about you. Askopen-ended questions: This can help redirect attention to the other person, allowing you to feel more ...