Replace negative thoughts

TESS

When you have discovered and identified your negative thoughts, you can learn to replace them with realistic and constructive ideas. You will feel better if you do. You are good enough! You can draw up a list to show that you are good enough. Try writing the following for example:

1.      I am good at helping others.

2.      I am good at listening.

3.      I keep my promises.

4.      I... (think up some more yourself)

The list will teach you to discover and replace your negative thoughts. This is because realistic and constructive ideas are good for you. You will feel better when you focus on reasons to be "good enough". When you feel better, you will find it easier to handle difficult situations.

Negative words

When you are depressed, you will often criticize yourself. Here are some of the typical negative words you might use about yourself. These words will make you sad and they will make your condition worse. These include words such as empty, impossible, ugly, weak, hopeless, fiasco, etc. If you hold on to negative descriptions of yourself, they will of course make you sad. Remember that feelings rarely come alone. When you feel sad, you can easily start having negative feelings such as anxiety, anger, frustration, disappointment, shame and guilt. Instead, you should focus on positive statements about yourself.

You will then challenge your negative thoughts

Challenge your negative thoughts. It is the way forward to getting better. Another way of challenging your negative thoughts is to think in the following way: "When I am depressed, it is obvious that I feel inadequate and not good enough. But it does not make me an impossible or a bad person. I feel something but it is not the truth. These feelings are not dangerous, because they are not factual. They are not real. They are part of my illness."

"I am a person. This makes me very complex. I am the result of millions of years of evolution. I have a very complicated genetic code. I have billions of brain cells. I also have a very wide range of feelings which make me a person. I also have a personal history and many years of personal development behind me."

"I can do many things, and I have many states of mind. These states of mind arise in specific situations. Because I am so complex, it is unreasonable to use a single negative phrase to describe me. It is also unreasonable to focus only on that one phrase."

"I am well aware that I am inclined to look negatively at things because I am depressed. Yet I can still choose to look at the positive side. For example, I am honest and hard-working. I also have compassion for others."

Focus on your good characteristics! Start by making a list of your good characteristics:

1.      I am a good friend.

2.      I keep my promises.

3.      I am good at listening.

4.      I am generally patient.

5.      I am loving.

6.      I have good taste.

7.      I am attentive.

8.      I am considerate.

9.      I take responsibility.

10.  I make sure I do not hurt others.

Draw up your own list of the characteristics you appreciate.