So yeah, there’s a lot to feel negatively about currently. We need something to combat all of that negative. That’s where fact challenging and cognitive re-framing comes in. Much of the time, we assume that all of our thoughts are absolute truth. In reality, our thoughts are just thoughts.
Before we are able to adjust negative thinking patterns, we need to first be aware of the negative patterns. Some common examples of negative thinking are the following:
-Black and White Thinking
-Fortune Telling
-Mind Reading
-Blowing Things Out of Proportion
-Negative Labeling
These are just a few examples. You can find more extensive lists if you google “faulty thinking patterns”. I know that I am guilty of most of these patterns. If you are too, don’t fret. We all are! We all come up with some amazing, great, innovative ideas and thoughts. But from time to time, we are going to come up with a dud.
So step one… recognize which patterns you are guilty of. Gently remind yourself that it is just a thought.
Step two… we change the thought. There are a ton of strategies to do this. We can challenge with factual evidence. Many faulty cognitions are not based in reality, so evidence won’t likely support them. When we look at the facts, we are forced to adjust our thoughts.
Re-framing is also a great strategy. Re-framing isn’t forcing a new thought, but it takes some of the reality of the situation and opens it up to a more positive thought. So for example: “2020 sucks, all of my vacations got cancelled and I can’t see anyone.” shifts to “2020 has sucked so far, but it doesn’t mean that the rest of the year has to.”
I encourage you to refocus your thoughts on what COVID-19 has given us. Maybe it’s more time with our family, maybe it’s helped get some projects done in the house, maybe you’ve been saving money, maybe you’ve gotten a break that you needed. There’s power in the thought. See where yours have been lately.
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