What we say to ourselves however will determine the way we feel and behave. If you are confident (or kind to yourself) you will naturally feel more optimistic. If you are self-critical or put yourself down, you will inevitably feel bad! It is therefore really important to be aware of our thinking as the types of thoughts we have will impact directly on our self-image and general wellbeing.
Catastrophising is a term that is used to describe the process of dramatic, negative thinking or exaggerated interpretations that lead to an imagined dramatic or catastrophic outcome. It is our thoughts that make us anxious, not life events.
If this process of catastrophising is something familiar to you or you recognise that your thoughts are causing you to feel negative towards yourself or others, you might need to work on changing your thinking. Continuing to think in this way will mean that you will continue to feel less good than you could; anxious or stressed.
But changing how you think needs practise; you need to train yourself to think differently. So where do you start? Well, you will need to challenge, rather than accept your negative thoughts. When a thought comes into your mind, you can ask yourself, ‘Are there any other possible options? Could it be any different to what I have assumed? Could I have misunderstood something/someone? Is there any evidence for my belief/assumption?
By getting in the habit of questioning your ‘ Negative Automatic Thoughts’ or ‘NAT’s’ you will start to switch some of your negatives into the positives. You will probably notice that you not only feel better about yourself, but more tolerant and less judgemental of others. If you ‘interrupt’ yourself when you say anything critical about yourself (out loud or in your head) and you replace these harsh words with something more ‘friendly’ your thoughts about yourself will slowly begin to change. If you teach yourself to become more alert to your thought patterns and the effect they have on you, you can make changes that can help you to adopt a different perspective.
If you recognise that you have negative or anxious thought patterns or find it hard to manage irrational or unhelpful thoughts, give me a call or send me an email. Hypnotherapy could provide a pleasant alternative
