Negative thinking can stop us from doing the things we want to, from going for a promotion or seeking a new job or finding a loving relationship, or exercising or...starting a painting. And negative thinking can be triggered by the smallest things. When we start to change our negative thinking it can be both liberating and overwhelming. But change them we must because negative thoughts seep into every part of our lives. They affect our relationships and disrupt our ability to be present. And the first step in changing negative thinking is to identify your negative thoughts.

How to identify your negative thoughts

Identifying what negative thoughts we are thinking can be tricky. Just like a cancer cell or a clever virus, negative thoughts and beliefs blend in and appear to just be who we are. Use following questions to ferret out your negative thoughts. Use your imagination to explore the suggested situations in “Try these on” and see what thoughts arise. Make a list of any thoughts and the situations that trigger them.

3 Ways to Stop Negative Thinking

How to turn your negative thoughts around

You should now have a list of negative thoughts and the situations which sparked them. Look it over. Which scenarios sparked the most negative thoughts? Can you identify a pattern in the negative thoughts? Go through your list of negative thoughts and, one at a time, ask yourself: Is it true? And after that ask yourself: Is it REALLY true?

Most of our negative thoughts come about from the stories and beliefs we adopted from our youth, from things we learned, observed, or experienced. We do not even question these thoughts and beliefs until it just becomes too uncomfortable and limiting to keep believing them. Remember, just because something happened once, it does not mean it will always turn out that way. In fact, it is very unlikely that it will!

Now, pick one negative thought or set of thoughts and follow these three steps to start thinking positively.

I have used all three of these steps in conjunction with one another, but you can start with one and see how it goes. For my complete guide to changing negative thinking, including a 10-minute creativity exercise for finding stillness and planting positive thoughts, download the free PDF below (no email required!)

—Larissa