The Main Causes Of Negative Thinking And How To Deal

Negative thinking can affect all aspects of our lives. From our relationships to our careers and overall sense of well-being.

Our mind continuously streams thoughts and ideas. These thoughts chug along uninterrupted as we let them pass through.

And then, out of the blue, come these negative thoughts.

The thought that something bad might happen to us or our family. The bad things that happened in the past get rehashed in our minds. Even inconsequential things such as being late to an event or getting fat for eating a doughnut.

The worst thing is when we entertain these negative thoughts. And then that one negative thought gets blown out of proportion, in our minds.

While it’s normal to experience negative thoughts from time to time. If these thoughts persist and become a habit, they can take a serious toll on our mental health.

But what causes negative thinking, and how can we deal with it?

In this article, we will explore the main causes of negative thinking and offer practical tips and techniques for overcoming them.

Whether you struggle with anxiety or depression. Or simply find yourself frequently caught in a cycle of negative thoughts. This article will provide you with the tools you need to break free and cultivate a more positive outlook on life.

What is negative thinking?

The Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine defines negative thinking as:

“Cognitions about the self, others, or the world in general that are characterized by negative perceptions, expectations, and attributions and are associated with unpleasant emotions and adverse behavioral, physiological, and health outcomes.”

Put simply, negative thinking is our negative thought patterns about ourselves, those close to us, and our life in general.

Is negative thinking bad?

While negative thinking every now and then is not bad. Indulging in these negative thoughts regularly will affect the brain unfavorably.

A study conducted by researchers at King’s College London noted the effect of negative thinking on the brain. They found that negative thinking diminishes the ability of the brain to think, reason, and form memories.

The habit of negative thinking may also increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Is negative thinking a disease?

A random negative thought is not a disease per se. But getting into the habit of negative thinking will certainly lead to a disorder in the mind or the body.

Do negative thoughts become reality

So if for example, we keep thinking about getting fired, we will then feel anxious. We would feel the fear and all the other feelings associated with that negative thought.

These feelings will lead to diminished quality of work which may eventually lead to actually getting fired.

Our thoughts are powerful. Whatever we focus our brains on can manifest in our lives. And there are a lot of books written to attest to this fact.

The science behind negative thinking

Science has also conducted various studies on the relationship between the brain and negative thinking.

It explains that the brain is hardwired to think of the easier and more fluid negative thoughts. Further, it explains that this is because of the presence of a hormone called cortisol.

Cortisol is the body’s stress hormone. In a study on Cognitive Distortions in Relation to Plasma Cortisol and Oxytocin Levels in Major Depressive Disorder, it was found that negative thinking influences the release of cortisol in the brain.

The effects of negative thinking

Too much cortisol in the body may lead to physical health problems.

Physical effects

These health problems include, among others:

• Difficulty in swallowing
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Irritability
• Digestive problems
• Heart conditions
• Lack of focus
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Muscle tension

Psychosocial effects

When negative thinking continues and is left unchecked, the repetition of the thought pattern can lead to a habit. The neural pathways created by these constant negative thoughts in the brain will become difficult to control.

Negative thinking will affect not only our physical health but our life in general.

At work, negative thoughts may lead to bad management. This may lead to conflicts and affect overall employee morale.

In business, you may not be able to come up with a timely decision because of overthinking.

Furthermore, negative thoughts that lack factual basis could hinder you from maintaining existing personal relationships. While self-doubt may impede you from building new ones.

With these effects of negative thinking, it is therefore important for us to manage our thoughts.

What causes negative thinking

But what exactly causes negative thinking? It’s not like we invite these negative thoughts to dwell in our minds.

As mentioned earlier, negative thinking is a natural occurrence that can happen to anyone. But it’s the persistent nature of these thoughts that can have detrimental effects on our mental and physical well-being, as well as our reality.

There are a lot of things that can cause negative thinking. The following are some of the most common factors:

Overthinking

Or over-analyzing things. This can be from simple things such as a report you have submitted that has no feedback yet.

It may start from the thought, why is it that my boss has no feedback on my report? Was it bad? Did I forget to include something important?

These negative thoughts could spiral further, even if your boss simply hasn’t had a chance to read the report yet.

Past events

The brain is more inclined to remember negative events over positive ones. Thus, people may find themselves thinking of negative events that happened in the past.

And reliving them in a manner that is far worse than what actually happened.

We may think of past mistakes and dwell on the what-ifs and what should’ve been. Or we may see someone or something that will remind us of past hurt or anger.

Worries of the future

The future is unknown to any one of us. Yet, sometimes when we think of the future, we worry that things will go badly.

We worry that our plans may not unfold as we want them to. We fear the outcome of an event that has not happened yet and have no control over it.

Lack of self-confidence

At work, at school, or events, we think that people will not like us. We worry about what people may think of us. We worry that we may not be up to the task.

There is always this nagging thought that we may do something wrong or that others can do things better than us. And all other negative thoughts that all stem from a lack of self-confidence.

How to overcome negative thinking

Because of the powerful nature of our thoughts, it may be difficult for us to stop thoughts with just a push of a button. Especially negative ones. But awareness may be one way to overcome negative thinking.

How to STOP negative thinking

Once you become aware that you are about to indulge in negative thoughts, you may try the following to stop the thoughts:

The 5-second rule

This is one rule that I use personally when negative thoughts begin to flow. I immediately stop my thoughts and count backward from 5 to 1. 54321. And done. No more negative thoughts for me.

I heard of this technique from Mel Robbins, author of The 5 Second Rule. This rule, she explains, closes the gap between thinking about what needs to be done and actually doing it.

In the case of negative thinking, this rule will refocus your thinking from the worries to the counting and then the things that need to be done. You will be able to refocus your thoughts on your goals.

Thought stopping

Similar to the 5-second rule, you can just say, “Stop!” when you become aware of the negative thoughts invading.

Prior to my 54321, I used to say to myself, “Rid me of these thoughts”. And according to article writer Katherine Hurst, you can use stronger words if you like.

Or if you are more on the visual side, you may picture a red stop sign. To rid yourself of the negative thoughts.

Pause

One other suggestion to stop negative thinking is to pause. Stop for a while and focus your awareness on your surrounding using your five senses.

Positive affirmations

Or you can always turn to positive mantras. These are positive statements that you will tell yourself whenever negative thoughts start to infiltrate the mind. These can be used to counter the effect of negative thoughts.

After we employ these negative thought-stopping techniques, we now shift our thinking from the negative to the positive.

How to SHIFT the mind from negative thinking to positive

Once we have stopped the negative thought from entering the mind. The next thing to do is to switch the thoughts to positive ideas or thoughts.

Power words or images

The power of positive affirmations will again come in handy to change thought patterns. You can use your positive affirmations on a daily basis to shift negative thoughts.

Bible passages or positive quotes can also help. Read these bible passages or positive quotes daily to counter the negative thoughts. These positive words will also help in uplifting your mood in general.

For visual people, clear and calm images may help. Or pictures of happy faces or the serenity of nature will aid in diverting the mind away from negative thinking.

Thought challenge

Another technique for shifting your thoughts is to examine why that negative thought entered your mind and then challenge it.

For example, you might have sent a message to a friend and have not received a reply after ten minutes. Your negative thought may be to think that she is ignoring you. And maybe do not consider you a friend anymore.

After you catch yourself in this train of thought, try to think of the logic behind your friend not wanting to do anything to do with you anymore. Because there was no reply after 10 minutes? Will a 10-minute silence erase a friendship? No. So then think of a more plausible reason for it. You know it’s a workday, so maybe she is busy with a report or in a meeting.

With that series of thoughts, you then forget about the negative and successfully shift your brain to something more reasonable.

Another challenge you may want to try is to look at the evidence. If there is even one. Otherwise, you just might be jumping to conclusions.

Like in the previous example, there is no evidence that your friend does not like you anymore. You have no way of knowing their thoughts.

What you do know is that she has not replied- yet. And that part can be reasonably explained. So then you can go back to thinking positively knowing your friendship is still intact.

Be present

Focusing your attention on the task at hand will keep your thoughts away from runaway negative thoughts. So you may also practice being in the present. Not thinking of the past or the future.

The positive benefit you can get in just being present is that your mind will be clear of any thoughts. You will create a clearer memory because of your awareness of what is happening and not being distracted by thoughts.

By being in the moment, you will create a greater connection with yourself, your family, friends, business associates, colleagues, etc.

Have positive connections

Negative thoughts can worsen with negative people. So, to keep a positive mind, you should surround yourself with positive people.

People who bring out the best in you and appreciate you. People who will help you challenge and overcome negative thoughts.

These people can be your family, friends, acquaintance, or other people you admire. With our technology today, it is easier to access and connect with people you admire. You can either read their articles or watch their videos online.

Positive people will affirm you and will make your mind stronger to deflect negative thinking.

New pattern

Granted, these actions will not provide immediate relief from negative thoughts. It will take time and practice of these activities for you to reap the benefits of a more positive outlook.

But one simple action will kick off a positive series of actions. The repetition of these activities will make them easier to do. And then you would have formed a new pattern in your brain.

A pattern of positive thoughts and ideas to help you become a better person.

Conclusion

Negative thinking is a natural occurrence that can happen to anyone. But persistent negative thoughts can lead to a habit that can affect mental and physical well-being, as well as reality.

Negative thinking can affect all aspects of life, from relationships to careers and overall well-being.

The habit of negative thinking diminishes the brain’s ability to think, reason, and form memories, and may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Also, science has conducted various studies on the relationship between the brain and negative thinking. And it explains that the brain is hardwired to think negatively because of cortisol, the body’s stress hormone.

Negative thinking may lead to physical health problems such as heart conditions, digestive problems, and muscle tension. Moreover, the habit of negative thinking may also lead to bad management and conflicts. As well as affect overall employee morale.

The most common factors that cause negative thinking include overthinking, past events, worries about the future, low self-esteem, and cognitive distortions.

Hence, it is essential to manage thoughts and cultivate a positive outlook on life.

We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts and ideas about The Main Causes Of Negative Thinking And How To Deal in the comments section below. We value your perspective and can’t wait to engage in a meaningful conversation with you.

Outside links:

Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine
Negative thinking: overview
Habit of negative thinking
Cognitive Distortions in Relation to Plasma Cortisol and Oxytocin Levels in Major Depressive Disorder
Anticipatory anxiety
Can excessive worry make me physically ill?
5-second rule
The law of attraction
Stop negative thinking
Challenge questions