Negative Thinking? Question the Evidence
In my blogpost Anxiety: The Mind’s Fake News, I explained how anxious and negative thoughts are largely based on false information. The fake mind news is the product of an overestimation of potential threat. We worry and feel stressed as a precaution to the perceived threat in our environment.
Our mind tells us one thing and the reality is something different, but we better be on our guard because what if something bad were to happen.
It is difficult to grasp sometimes that this thought process is not always at a conscious level. Negative thinking creeps in and we were unaware of why we should feel that way.
The fake negative warning signal comes from within our mind with the result being a conscious battle with the reality of the situation.
The Burglar Alarm In Our Mind
A teenage client of mine once described it as a burglar alarm going off but there was no burglar in the building. You look for evidence of an intruder but there is no-one. You take a moment to reset only for the alarm to sound, again with no observable reason.The added problem is that once that alarm has sounded several times, you begin to expect it to go off. You are watchful and any sound you focus on: is that the alarm?
You begin to listen out for potential triggers for the alarm to sound. You want to understand why the alarm keeps sounding so you look for reasons.
Soon you are thinking about that alarm ringing more than anything else… and yet you still do not know what it’s happening.
Where is the evidence?
One of the first steps for the management of negative or anxious thinking is to stop and question the evidence. Ask yourself: how true is that? Where is the evidence?You know that negative/anxious thinking is based on false information. Challenge it with the evidence that shows it is wrong. Question yourself, challenge the thought.
Stop! Dispute and Challenge
When a negative mindset creeps in, firstly put an obstacle in the way of it progressing. Stop. If you need to, say in your mind. Stop and ask yourself:How helpful is it for me to think like that right now?
How is that helping me in this situation right now?
The answer is, of course, that it isn’t helpful. There is no evidence that the negative thought, belief or anxiety is correct. The opposite is true. Recognise and remind yourself that it is fake news, it is the burglar alarm sounding without a reason for it.
Dispute the false claims made by negative thinking or anxiety. Take a moment to remind yourself of the evidence you do have that proves it is false. Go through a prepared list of evidence from your day to day life and past experiences that prove that the anxiety and negative attitude are incorrect.
Challenge the thoughts with more helpful ways of thoughts. How could you change that thought or that way of thinking so that it was more helpful to you? How could you rephrase it so that it made you feel positive rather than negative or anxious?
Low Self-Esteem: The Stop, Dispute and Challenge
I was tutoring 18-year-old Jack as he prepared for his A’level Psychology examination. He had completed the first year of his course with very respectable grades. From our lessons, it was obvious that he was a capable and conscientious student. He studied a lot during the week and completed many practice essays and exam papers for me to mark.Jack was very aware of how well he needed to do so that he would be able to go on to his chosen university course: forensic science. He had a tendency to check how much revision his fellow students were doing, as well as comparing his grades to those of his peers.
It was clear to me that the only thing that would be an obstacle for Jack was his low-self esteem concerning his studies. He was capable and I did not doubt that he would perform well in his exams, and yet he didn’t seem to understand that.
Two weeks before his exams as we revised the different ways researchers chose particular statistical tests, he threw his pen down sighed heavily, folded his arms and said: “It’s no good! I’ll never get it! I might as well give up now. I’m rubbish at this.”
I think he was somewhat surprised when I grinned and then started laughing. He began laughing too and then asked: “Why are you laughing?”
“Well, Jack,” I said, closing the textbook, “what you just said doesn’t make any sense. For starters, you say you will never understand it, but that isn’t correct. Think right back to the start of this course and you didn’t know any of the psychological theories, explanations and studies that now you know so well you could sit there and explain them to me in detail. Every step of this course you have had to learn new things, so of which are difficult, but you are smart enough to make sense of it.”
He began grinning, but I carried on…
“Now we know you are capable because we only have to look at your GCSE results. You did very well. You exceed your predicted grades. Next, you completed the first year of this course with a high grade and have continued to do well. Yes, this part of the course is tricky, but there is nothing to suggest that you are unable to master it.
Perhaps the reason you are feeling frazzled in this way is that you are so close to your exams and you desperately want to do well. Perhaps you are exhausted because you are putting so many hours into your studies. Perhaps you are comparing yourself to other students in your class, which you know makes no difference to your overall grade.
So… maybe get some sleep, relax and remind yourself of what you have achieved before. You can do this and you know you can. Forget about what everyone else is doing for now and ask yourself what would be more a more helpful way of thinking about it.
That’s why I laughed…What do you reckon? Shall we get back to these statistics?"
Jack rolled his eyes at what he knew was ‘David’s Talking Too’ smiled and got back to revising.
Taking out that ten minutes was all that Jack needed to go from catastrophising about his exams to calming down and getting focused. It was very straight forward for him, but the principles would be the same if was someone who was feeling nervous about that job interview, social event or even just having to make a difficult phone call.
Stop, dispute with evidence to the contrary and challenge with more positive action.
Hypnoanalysis: Getting to Root Cause of Anxiety and Negativity
Hypnoanalysis is a type of analytical therapy that works through and resolves the emotional build-up which causes anxiety and negative thinking. The therapy works under the principle of cause and effect. For every effect there has to be a cause; a reason why this person suffers in the way they do.Rather than managing symptoms, the aim is to remove the psychological cause of anxiety and a negative mindset. Imagining being able to dispense with the management strategies you use to control your anxiety, because it no longer exists; without the possibility of symptom substitution.
The process does not have to be a long-drawn-out process either. Most people can complete their therapy within 6 to 8 sessions.
There is no reason to put up with anxiety that is negatively impacting your life. Imagine what your life would be like if you were free from the doubts and worries which have been an obstacle for so long.
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