Acknowledge and Change Negative Thoughts
It’s normal to have negative thoughts, but you can change them.
Have you ever thought I shouldn’t be feeling this way? Maybe something upset you, and you questioned whether it really mattered. There are a few reasons you might do this, including:
- Someone else telling you that your feelings are irrational
- Thinking other people wouldn’t feel the same way in your situation
- Thinking you have a habit of being too sensitive and jumping to the wrong conclusions
I’ve been there so many times! When a friend cancels on me at the last minute, I would feel upset and think they were doing it intentionally. Then part of my brain goes: You’re being selfish, Martha. You’ve done the same thing to other people a few times. Stop being so hypocritical. So I would start to think I don’t deserve to be upset. Then, my thoughts would spiral, causing me to jump to more conclusions and negative self-talk.
But the truth is that your thoughts and feelings matter. They exist for a reason. Are they always rational? No. But often, they arise from patterns you have experienced in life: bullying, deceit, rejection, loss, etc.
Think about a time when something unpleasant happened to you. Perhaps you failed a test…
