I often find myself in situations I do not wish to be in and while we cannot control everything around us, anxiety can be reduced when facing stressful situations by challenging negative thoughts that arise.
Self-Talk (talking to yourself) is a great tool for a person who is suffering from anxiety to learn; self-talk is the running commentary you do inside your head when the negative thoughts and impulses spring into action. Self-Talk is a way for you to gain back the control you feel you are losing.
Learning to change the way you think can ease a stressful situation and lesson the anxiety. When you are fuelled by anxiety your danger walls pop into place and you are running full throttle on adrenaline, it can be difficult to think rationally when you are frightened. By challenging negative thoughts using the self-talk method you are able to remind yourself that you are in control.
Anxiety shows us the perception of what we think we see, this is not always true. It is always wise to challenge negative thoughts the self-talk, when a depressed person listens to the self-talk those views will always appear negative, again not a fact. The negative talk comes from the depressed negative mood and thoughts.
By challenging negative thoughts you are allowing yourself time to put things into perspective, to calm down your racing thoughts and make the situation more bearable for yourself. If you can stop fearing the worst and remove the negatives in a situation, it can be extremely helpful and make all the difference.
When a negative thought arises you must challenge that aspect of your thinking, are the thoughts irrational, negative or frightening? If so look for the hard faced facts that prove those thoughts? Challenging your negative thoughts means looking for proof in a way. What makes these negative thoughts real or truthful?
Challenging Negative Thoughts
An Example Of A Negative Thought: “Your husband is on a night out with his friends and he’s going to meet someone better than you and leave you” A negative thought quite common to my own anxiety and paranoia.
Challenging Negative Thoughts; when this negative thought is challenged, there is no truth in this at all. Rather than reaching for my mobile and texting or phoning my husband to listen for a women’s voice in the background, I challenge the thought that my husband would never hurt me that way, that he does love me and that I trust him. I do not allow that negative thought to go further.
It has taken me months, even years to learn how to change the way I think, it is extremely difficult at first, but I assure you it is worth it. Practise makes perfect, the more you do it the easier it gets.
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Love this I shall definatly be taking this on board x
Great and informative post, thank you x x
this is great to read as this is one of my many problems x x x
You always give the best info thank you oink oink.
Thinknill try this ive got really bad anxiety xxx
Negativity destroys people if it’s able to.
Good sound advice on here. Thanks Emma
will be trying this!! hoping it will help me
i will try this but my negative thoughts usually win x
love this but soo hard to ddo will be giving it a go though xx