How to Deal with Negative Thoughts
Very often, life tends to bring some of us down. Be it relationships, or life’s challenges, the reasons can be many. This begs the question as to whether there might be a practical way to handle negative thoughts and stay positive through the unpredictable twists and turns.
Here are some aspects to consider if you are going through a tough time and struggling with your mental health:
Have a safety plan
If you tend to feel extremely negative and distressed about stressful situations or a personal crisis, have a safety net in place. You can even create such a plan with a therapist or a friend. Try thinking of people, aspirations, and events and other things important to you that provide hope and make you feel safe
Be sure to take one step at a time and not act on an impulsive basis.
Take care of your health
Mental health concerns are strongly linked to poor sleep patterns. Be sure to sleep 7-8 hours a night.
Also, try taking up some form of exercise as it has been shown to improve the mood, and decrease feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression, increasing brain sensitivity to norepinephrine and serotonin – hormones that reduce feelings of depression. The production of endorphins may also increase, helping reduce our perception of pain and, in turn, produce positive feelings. Getting the daily required dose of Vitamin D is also beneficial.
Consider Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a goal-oriented, structured form of talk therapy, effective in dealing with grief, stress, and mental health conditions, some of which include anxiety and depression.
Mental health experts, including counsellors, psychologists or therapists, use this form of therapy to treat emotional and mental health concerns. It helps one arrest unhelpful patterns of thinking, considering one’s central ideas of themselves and the world, helping one who is experiencing issues that affect their mental health with ways of better coping with them, which can in turn, help relieve symptoms and improve mental and emotional health.
We may get stuck interpreting distressing or negative situations without examining the evidence for that particular type of interpretation. Identifying negative automatic thought patterns and seeking the help needed to address them by using the above methods will hold you in good stead when the going gets tough. Staying isolated can only further compound the problem, so be sure to always have someone you can reach out to – be it a close friend or family member, counsellor, or medical professional.
Sometimes, a person going through a hard time might feel like they are in an impossible situation and not know how to reach out to someone or deal with their challenges. In an effort to spread more awareness and provide all necessary information and support, we will be staging a webinar on ‘How to Deal with Negative Thoughts’ on June 25th
Register for the webinar by clicking here:
https://omaninsurance-event.webex.com/weblink/register/r403e63a23e17322c67db26cd1596de23