How to Identify & Replace Negative Thinking Patterns

Identifying and replacing negative thinking patterns can take time and commitment. Though monitoring your thoughts throughout the day can be a challenge, it's important to recognize what negative thought patterns are present in order to change them. It's usually helpful to write down negative thoughts in order to clearly understand the messages you are sending yourself on a consistent basis. Once you have identified negative thinking patterns, you can replace them with positive affirmations.

Instructions

• 1

  Keep a journal where you write down your negative thoughts. Every time a negative thought comes into your head, write it down. If you can't write down all of your negative thoughts, make a commitment to jot down at least five to ten per day.

• 2

  Reread your journal after one to two weeks. Determine what underlying themes or messages are behind your negative thoughts. For example, if you see that you've been having consistent negative thoughts about your body image, the theme behind that thought might be guilt or shame. If you been having many negative thoughts about being in social situations or having to talk to strangers, your theme might be fear.

• 3

  Determine the deeper, core messages behind your themes. For example, if you theme is fear, some negative core messages might be, "the world isn't a safe place" or "I can't trust myself." Write down a list of these negative core messages in your journal.

• 4

  Go through the list of negative thoughts and negative core messages that you've recorded in your journal. Next to each one, write a different version that turns the negative thought or core message into a positive affirmation. For example, if your negative thought is "I look fat," turn that statement into something like, "I love my body" or "my body is perfect the way it is."

• 5

  Continue monitoring your negative thoughts on a daily basis. This time, however, each time you have a negative thought, consult your journal and remind yourself of the affirmative statement associated with each one. If you have a thought such as, "I'll never make any money," silently replace it with something like, "I have all the wealth I need."

• 6

  Repeat your affirmations to yourself several times a day. Write them down on sticky notes and place them on your mirrors, in your car or on your desk. In time, you'll be able to immediately identify a negative thought and replace it with a positive one.