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Dealing with negative thoughts is something everyone has to do. Some people choose to allow negative thoughts to freeze them in their tracks. Other people have a negative thought and then transform that into a positive one instead. If you want to be a person who has good self-esteem and lets go of self-doubt, purposefully turning negative thoughts to positive ones will help you like almost nothing else.
1. Replace the Thought
When a negative thought arises, don’t try to suppress it — replace it with a more constructive one. If you think “I always mess this up,” counter it with “I’ve learned from this and I’ll do better next time.”
2. Question the Evidence
Ask yourself: Is this thought 100% true? What evidence do I actually have? Often our negative thoughts are based on assumptions, not facts. Challenging them with logic weakens their grip.
3. Change Your Environment
Sometimes the fastest way to change your thinking is to change your surroundings. Stand up, walk outside, switch rooms, or put on different music. A shift in environment can interrupt the negative spiral.
4. Practice the Stop Technique
The moment you catch a negative thought, say “Stop” — aloud or in your mind. Visualize a red stop sign. This interrupts the pattern and gives you a moment to choose a different direction.
5. Focus on What You Can Control
Negative thoughts often come from fixating on things outside your control. Redirect your energy to something you can influence right now — even if it’s just taking three deep breaths.
6. Talk to Yourself Like a Friend
Would you say what you’re thinking to someone you care about? Probably not. Treat yourself with the same compassion you’d offer a close friend going through a hard time.
Each time negative thoughts that aren’t useful come up, do something mentioned here to circumvent them. If you can turn the negative thought into a positive thought, especially one that requires action, you’ll win this fight with your inner self. To gain your self-respect, rid your life of damaging self-doubt and keep on winning.
It’s not always easy to deal with feedback, even positive feedback. We’ll talk about that next time.