Causes of # Negative Thoughts

Updated on 7-4-15
Having negative thoughts now and then is quite natural but when this becomes a habit it can do untold damage.These thoughts are very selective.We ignore the positive aspects of life and concentrate upon the disturbing elements--be it past failures,present day circumstances or worries about the future.We jump to worst-case scenarios,make mountains out of molehills,minimize our achievements,maximize ordinary obstacles and disregard our  own capabilities to face up to any catastrophe.

Acting on these thoughts our brain signals the release of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol which arm us to fight a crisis.This is a beneficial result of negative thoughts but there is also a harmful spin-off in the form of negative emotions.Psychologists tell us that it is our thoughts which precede and transform into corresponding emotions.As the thoughts,thus the emotions.A preponderance of negative thoughts makes us angry,fearful,jealous,vindictive and sad--which is destructive of health and happiness.

The problem is compounded when we imagine/forecast or anticipate fearfully, disasters and calamities without sufficient grounds.When this becomes a habit,it makes us nervy because incessant feelings of impending danger keep our bodies in a state of constant preparedness.This trio of thoughts,hormones and emotions becomes entrenched in a vicious cycle which is difficult to dislodge.

Nobody likes to imagine doleful scenarios but our thinking patterns begin to form in early childhood and are reinforced by later developments.If the past has been ugly, it is natural to be scared of even a flutter in the wind, but life conditions change and continuing with our negative perspective blocks out the positives.The longer we succumb to negativity,the harder it becomes to dispel it.

If you want to get rid of negative thoughts it is of paramount importance to reorganize your thinking patterns.Here are some doable tips to help you along:--

1--Sometimes you may feel bogged down with dejection even when there is no particular trigger in your milieu.Is it because of your self-talk?Are you constantly belittling yourself,underestimating your caliber and ascribing your successes to luck or outside influences?
Then it is time to change track,to replace each negative thought with a positive one.You must have passed exams,achieved targets and won compliments--treasure them as antidotes to your thoughts of inferiority.

2--Comparisons with those who are better-placed,more prosperous,cleverer or smarter than you also give rise to bitter feelings.No matter how hard you try there will always be many persons above you.When you yearn to be like them you fail to derive satisfaction from your own achievements.In this way despite having much to be thankful for,you end up simmering in discontent.

3--Do your depressive thoughts spring from something you did or failed to do?The very fact that you are now regretting it is proof that you have evolved from that stage.We all commit mistakes,the important thing is to not repeat them.Regrets bog you down and kill your peace of mind.

4--Or was it someone who hit you below the belt?Guarding yourself in future is necessary but do you have to torment yourself by ruminating over it time and again?When you go over a negative experience repeatedly, you blow it out of all proportions-thereby increasing your sorrow.

5--Do not read too much into casual remarks. Oversensitivity is responsible for many avoidable heart-aches.What you have interpreted as your insult might have been aimed at someone else or it may have been said unthinkingly.Very often when we say something we do not know how it will hit the other person and we hurt without meaning to do so.

6--Perfectionism is good at many places but it can also become a hotbed for anxiety.When you want to be perfect in every sense even minor foibles will agonize you.A task you failed to accomplish as you had envisioned will leave you depressed.Even disorder or indiscipline around you will make you restless or hostile to those responsible for it,which is bound to reflect upon your relationships.A dash of humor,a little bit of laxity and a touch of  'what ho!' attitude will help you to adjust more satisfyingly to your own self as well as those around you.

7-Associate with happy souls and their conviviality will rub off on you.And remember to avoid kill-joys.

8--Health problems are a very common cause of negative thoughts.We all feel anxious when laid down with disease but it is of paramount importance to adopt a positive attitude, because negativity obstructs recovery.It is not possible to remain fit and healthy throughout our life,we can only modulate our responses so that we maintain our composure and regain our health as best we can.If we look at the broader picture,concentrate upon the positives which still remain,the negativity will diminish.

9--Change too,is a part of life.Even if an upcoming development looks ominous it might be the precursor of a larger good.Just do your darnedest and hope for the best.If you allow discouraging thoughts to overwhelm you, you will make only halfhearted attempts to cope, and give up too soon--thus fulfilling your doomsday predictions.No loss or tragedy is larger than life.

10--Disappointments and crises cannot be ruled out,therefore we must learn how to cope with them.Meditation and yoga are helpful in gaining peace of mind.In fact any kind of physical exercise helps to augment the flow of feel good chemicals like serotonin,dopamine and endorphins.

Negative thoughts which spew from a real trigger vanish as soon as the difficulty is overcome but it is those which stem from faulty patterns of thinking and behaving which are hard to shake off;and it is these very thoughts which inflict the gravest damage.They make us miserable, sap our energy and affect our health.Remember:--

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