4 Anxiety-Related Negative Thought Patterns
The Nystrom & Associates provider consulted for this article is Jennifer Bosch, MSW, LGSW, Outpatient Therapist.
Negative thinking patterns are clinically known as cognitive distortions. These patterns are often extreme, inaccurate ways of thinking.
- "He's late for dinner, he must have got into a terrible accident."
- "I failed that paper. I'm terrible at writing, I should just drop out of school."
- "None of my projects at work are good enough. They're going to fire me."
Cognitive Distortions & Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive distortions are a primary focus of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT treats generalized anxiety disorder. Typically, negative thinking patterns:- Surface when you are faced with an issue
- Reinforce self-defeating beliefs
- Can increase anxiety and stress
In treating individuals with anxiety disorders, one area of focus is negative thinking patterns. The unhelpful or unkind things individuals say to themselves have a negative effect on their mental health. Helping others to recognize these thinking patterns and learning to be kinder and more forgiving of oneself is a great place to make a positive impact.Fortunately, negative thinking patterns can be identified and turned around. Your mind can start working for you, rather than against you. It all starts with your ability to understand what negative thinking patterns are, how they effect your anxiety, and how to get them to stop. Related: 8 Mindfulness Practices to Reduce Stress
1. Polarized Thinking
Polarized thinking, or otherwise known as “all or nothing” thinking, is when your thoughts occur regularly in extremes. In other words, if something doesn’t happen just right, it’s a failure. For example, you start a new fitness routine and go to the gym daily. One day, you couldn’t squeeze in time to go to the gym. You see this as a failure and give up going to the gym altogether in the future.2. Emotional Reasoning
This common cognitive distortion assumes that whatever you’re feeling must be the truth. For example, you feel anxious on a plane, so you conclude that flying is unsafe. While it's crucial to express your emotions and listen to them, it's also important to judge them logically based on reality and facts.3. Personalization
Taking things personally means you view other people's actions in direct correlation to you - even when they're not connected to you at all. Personalization takes place when you accept blame for something that has nothing to do with you or is completely out of your control. For instance, if your partner is in a bad mood after a hard day at work, you might assume you did something wrong and their bad mood must be your fault.4. Overgeneralization
Overgeneralization is when you assume something “always” or “never" happens to you because it happened one time. You make a rule for something that has had few occurrences. For example, you invite a friend for coffee, and they say they can’t make it. You say, “People never want to hang out with me.” Similarly, you enter in a raffle and are not the winner. You say, "I have the worst luck in the world." Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), along with other anxiety disorders, are associated with overgeneralization. Related: PTSD & EMDR TherapyHow to Change Negative Thoughts
Cognitive distortions can be corrected over time. If you'd like to change your patterns of thinking, the following tips might be helpful:- Identify distortions: Firstly, recognize your negative thought patterns. Become aware of the ones you return to often and analyze how you feel before and after the thought occurs.
- Challenge the thought: Check the facts, ask yourself questions, and seek out the gray in what seems like a black and white situation.
- Seek support: Ask for another point of view from a friend, relative, or therapist. In addition to being able to talk openly about your thoughts and feelings, they can help shift your perspective to see things differently.
- Improve your self-talk: Above all, speak to yourself with compassion. Although things will happen to you that are out of your control, you can always guide your mind positive reflection.
