Talk Back to Negative Thoughts

By Linda Wasmer Andrews

How much control do you have over your negative feelings? According to research, a lot more than you might think. There is always more than one way to view an event, and how you view any situation influences your feelings and actions. Negative thinking patterns distort your view of yourself and life. They can make you feel down, worried, and stressed out, and they can provoke you into ill-chosen actions.

Learning to take a positive view of yourself has major rewards in terms of happiness and even health. For example, research shows that people with medical conditions who take the positive view cope better with their illness.

Are you your toughest critic? For some, the slightest slipup leads to harsh, self-critical thoughts. Many people blow a sense of threat out of proportion, discount the positive, or magnify the negative. This line of thinking can keep you from achieving self-esteem, goals, and good relationships.

So how can you become a more positive person? It's a very simple idea really. First, pinpoint your distorted thoughts. Ask yourself, "What evidence do I have for this?" Next, dispute your negative thoughts and replace them with realistic thoughts. For instance, a thought such as, "I never do anything right," can become, "I do plenty of things right."

With practice, your positive thoughts can become automatic.