Identifying and Challenging Negative Thoughts

Last week, we talked about how negative thoughts pop up when the stress rises and affect your life and increase anxiety.  We talked about how negative thoughts have energy in your life.  Without addressing our negative thoughts, they continue to swirl and grow thus making your anxiety worse and worse.  But how do you identify and challenge those negative thoughts?

The first thing you must do is simply notice those negative thoughts whenever they come up and jot them down.  Notice when they occur.  Are they happening at night?  Are they waking you from sleep?  Or are they happening during the day?

As a part of noticing when these negative thoughts are happening, it’s also important to identify the trigger and emotions associated with these negative feelings.  What triggered your negative thoughts?  And what emotions did that bring up for you?  Was it fear? Anger? Did something bad happen? Or are you in your head living in negativity without even realizing it?

Identifying and knowing all of these things is crucial to learning how to change your negative thoughts.  But once you have taken inventory of these thoughts, you can begin to challenge them.

But part of the problem with anxiety and the negative thinking that comes along with it, is that it’s fear based and irrational.  Most of the time when we take an honest look at those thoughts and fears we can see that they are indeed lies.

In order to start challenging negative thoughts, you’re going to have to take inventory of those thoughts.  A thought inventory is simply a healthy practice of self appraisal.  It is an honest analysis  of ourselves and the situation.  It is a willingness to admit any fault that might be ours and an equal willingness to forgive ourselves and others.

This inventory is part of my 5 Day Challenge that I created to help YOU challenge your negative thoughts.  The challenge begins Monday, October 21 until Friday, October 25^th and it will help you to identify the negative thoughts that you regularly have and begin to start challenging them.

You will also learn how to take a thought inventory.  You have to look at each thought on your inventory and ask yourself if it’s rational or irrational?  To learn how to create this inventory and start challenging your negative click here.

It’s important that you gain control over your negative thoughts if you wish to control your anxiety because both negative thoughts and anxiety are both fear based.  In order to gain control, you have to confront the fears that are causing it.

Register for the challenge with this link, and then tune in next week to learn more about challenging thus changing your negative thoughts.