Negative Thinking Destroys Your Mental Health
Negative Thinking Destroys Your Mental Health
Negative thoughts – this is something we all engage in at some point of time in our life. But constant negativity and negative thoughts destroy your mental health, taking you to the feeling of depression and anxiety
Science says that positive thinking can improve mental health, reduces stress and even lead to better cardiovascular health, yet many of us are stuck following the patterns of negative thinking by themselves or under the influence of the surrounding people.
Let’s explore the effects of negativity on mental health while looking at ways to end the cycle.
What is actually a “negative thinking?”
Sometimes it might be challenging to differentiate negative thinking from the regular worries. Feeling sad about any upsetting event is very normal such as worrying about financial burdens and relationship problems.
The problem arises when these feelings are pervasive and repetitive. The negative thinking definition from Rethink Mental Illness stipulates that:
“Negative thinking refers to a pattern of thinking negatively about yourself and your surroundings. While everyone experiences negative thoughts now and again, negative thinking that seriously affects the way you think about yourself and the world and even interferes with work/study and everyday functioning could be a symptom of a mental illness, including depression, anxiety disorders, personality disorders and schizophrenia.”
Not everyone who engages in negative thoughts has mental illness. However negative thinking can be problematic to your mental health and quality of life. Luckily, there are ways to end negative thoughts, but you must first look at what causes them.
Causes of negative thinking
Negative thinking can be a sign of mental health also it can be a regular part of life. There are many different causes. Intrusive negative thoughts could be a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), depression or another mental health condition.
We have categorized into three leading causes.
#1 Fear of the future
People often fear of the unknown or what the future might bring in for them. This often leads to predicting failure and disaster.
The key to letting go of these negative thoughts is to accept there is a limit to what you can change in the future and strive to focus on the present instead.
#2 Anxiety about the present
Anxiety about the present is understandable. It is common that if we think whether we are doing good at job, worrying about the traffic on your way to home, etc.
Negative thinkers come up with the worst-case scenario such as no on in the office likes me, our boss is going to get angry for terrible work, etc. Proper organization and routines can help overcome this.
#3 Shame about the past
Feeling ashamed of any past is something everyone feels. But negative thinkers tend to dwell on past mistakes and failures more than others. A more constructive way to overcome this is to accept that the event happened and now focus on how to prevent it from happening again in the future.
Apart from these thinks, negative thinking also arises from the negative people around you. Negative people or toxic people have an infectious negativity that creates unrest everywhere. They can create problem for every solution. They can be a negative relative like spouse, mother in law or friend.
So how to deal with such negative people? Here’s an interesting video by Dr. Parth Vaishnav on dealing with negative people around you.
Subscribe YouTube channel “HeyParth Official” for more such videos.
You don’t have to succumb to a life of negative thinking. With some basic countering techniques, you can learn to get rid of negative thoughts by intercepting them before they become all-consuming. The key is to practice countering exercises every time you have a negative thought, and not to give up if you have a blip.
