How to Change Negative Thought Patterns

The fast pace of modern life can quickly become overwhelming and stressful. Relentless news of yet another global struggle or cost-of-living crisis can make it easy to get trapped in a cycle of negative thoughts. Negative thought patterns can impact anyone and everyone and can range from the odd pessimistic day to a seemingly inescapable carousel of anxiety, self-doubt and sadness. 

Whilst there are many things outside of our control that can impact our mental health and induce negative thought patterns, there are also a myriad of things within our control that can challenge these patterns and foster a more positive outlook. In this article, we will explore what negative thought patterns are and how to identify them and their harmful impact. We will also offer practical steps that will help you to challenge these thought patterns in an effective manner. 

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What are Negative Thought Patterns?

Thought patterns are the mental framework with which we process and respond to the world. They can be seen as the lens through which we decipher our experiences and what is happening to us. Thought patterns naturally fluctuate over time and can be influenced by many things such as upbringing, age and the world around us. They influence how we think, feel and behave and can evoke a certain outlook on life. Negative thought patterns alter this framework causing a perpetually negative outlook that impacts how we think, feel and behave. 

Everyone has negative thoughts and these can be reactionary, such as feeling negatively about work after a bad day, or a random thought brought on by seemingly nothing. However, these thoughts are typically temporary and do not fuel further negative thoughts. Comparatively, negative thought patterns are a cycle of negative thoughts that can foster an unhelpful and perpetually pessimistic outlook. Once this cycle of negative thoughts has begun it can be hard to stop it and this can have an incredibly detrimental effect on one’s mental health. 

When left unchecked, negative thought patterns can effectively rewire our brains to always approach a situation negatively. This can lead to an almost automatically negative outlook that inadvertently dampens someone’s approach to life. 

What Causes Negative Thought Patterns?

Negative thought patterns can be caused by a wide range of things and people are often unaware that they have a negative thought pattern until it is brought to their attention. Negative thoughts, just like any other thought that we have, are heavily influenced by what has happened to us in the past. Our reactions to different situations throughout our lives, especially during childhood, can shape how we think and how we approach certain situations. This can have an incredibly positive or an incredibly negative impact on how we approach the world in later life. For example, someone who was constantly criticised as a child for being ‘overly emotional’ may actively seek to suppress their emotions in later life. This may then lead them to view any emotional reaction as a failure and something that they need to hide or rectify. As such, they may view crying as a sign of their own weakness and berate themselves for not being able to ‘toughen up’ despite their emotional response being completely proportionate to the situation at hand. 

There is no one specific cause of negative thought patterns and they can often be the unexpected result of coping mechanisms developed in youth which have become unhealthy over time. There is an undeniable safety in the familiar and even when these coping mechanisms are unhealthy, our brains can continue to repeat them out of familiarity and to protect us from discomfort. 

Nevertheless, negative thought patterns don’t solely come from negative childhood experiences. A traumatic event, poor mental health or persistent criticism from friends or family can also evoke negative thought cycles that can have a detrimental effect on a person. It’s therefore important to recognise that negative thought patterns can impact anyone at any stage of their life.

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Negative Thought Pattern Examples

Negative thought patterns can exhibit in a myriad of ways and two people can have incredibly different but still inherently negative thoughts. However, there are some common types of negative thoughts that many people regularly struggle with. These include:

• Black and white thinking – Seeing things in an ‘all or nothing’ way that leaves no room for mistakes or imperfection. One single mistake is quickly seen as proof of total failure.

• Overgeneralisation – A single negative occurrence is seen as an inescapable cycle in which ‘everything’ goes wrong. 

• Catastrophising – Exaggerating the importance of a single mistake and therefore thinking that a situation is irrevocably doomed.

• Minimisation – Reducing the importance of one’s own feelings or successes as ‘not enough’ to counter the negative struggles. 

• Jumping to conclusions – Making a negative interpretation of a situation despite there being no evidence to reach that conclusion or ignoring evidence that suggests a situation may end positively.  

• Should statements –  These rigid statements dictate where a person ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’ be in their life. When these milestones aren’t achieved this evokes intense guilt and an overwhelming feeling of failure. 

• Personalisation – Seeing oneself as the reason a situation has become negative or not gone as planned despite no personal culpability for the situation. 

• Ignoring the positive – Viewing positive occurrences as a ‘one off’ or the exception to the rule, rather than positive contradictory proof to negative thoughts. 

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Effects of Negative Thinking

Negative thought patterns can quickly become an inescapable cycle that has an incredibly harmful impact on someone’s mental health and self-esteem. The effects of negative thinking include:

• Low self-esteem
• Self-doubt
• Anxiety and stress
• Avoidant tendencies
• Negative assumptions
• Depression
• Self-isolation
• Unnecessary conflict
• Emotional distance

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How to Change Negative Thought Patterns

Negative thought patterns can feel inescapable at times and, as mentioned, almost automatic. However, in the same way that negative thought patterns can be learned, they can also be unlearned and replaced with more positive habits that break the cycle. Unfortunately there is no ‘quick fix’ when it comes to changing negative thought patterns and it is something that requires active practice in order to be effective. Nevertheless, with the right tools negative thought patterns can be challenged and their harmful impact lessened. 

Below you will find some tips on how to change negative thought patterns:

• Acknowledge negative thoughts – This might seem somewhat counter intuitive but an important part of changing negative thoughts is identifying when you are having them. It can be easy to dismiss a negative thought as a ‘one off’ or not a true reflection of how you actually feel. This may well be the case in some situations but if you find yourself constantly dismissing a negative thought as a ‘one off’ the chances are it’s not a one off. Recognising when you are having a negative thought helps you to stop the cycle before it has even begun and to challenge your understanding of a situation.

• Challenge unhelpful thoughts – Once you have acknowledged a negative thought pattern it can then be helpful to challenge them. As mentioned above, black and white thinking is a common negative thought pattern that can lead someone to think that if something isn’t perfect it’s a failure. In this instance, taking a moment to pause and challenge whether that is in fact accurate can help to stop a cycle of thinking that leads to guilt and shame. It can be helpful to begin challenging negative thoughts with tangible facts. For example, a common negative thought pattern is jumping to conclusions which may lead someone to think that a single mistake they have made will ruin an entire project. However, taking the time to examine what has actually been irrevocably ruined and what can be easily fixed helps to challenge this overgeneralisation and highlight that a single mistake does not inherently mean total failure. 

• Keep a diary – Using a diary to note down whenever you notice negative thought patterns can help you to recognise how what you’re thinking impacts your mood. Whilst it can be difficult to write down all of your negative thoughts, it can also help you to recognise patterns in thinking that are harmful and perhaps go unnoticed. 

• Replace negative thoughts – Negative thoughts can often be automatic and that makes it hard to recognise when we are caught in a spiral. This can also make it hard to identify the thought as anything other than a simple thought. However, replacing negative thoughts with more encouraging affirmations can help to challenge negative thoughts and replace them with a more positive outlook. For example, when approaching a difficult task some initial negative thoughts may manifest as ‘I can’t do this,’ or ‘I’ve never been able to do things like this before so I’m going to fail.’ A more positive and open-minded approach would instead be ‘I can try my best’ or ‘let’s see if I can succeed where I have struggled in the past.’

• Be kind to your mind – You are not your thoughts and negative thought patterns are not indicative of who you are as a person. It can be easy when challenging negative thoughts to approach them with a similar negativity. For example, berating oneself for thinking you are a failure isn’t necessarily the more positive alternative. In fact, it can inadvertently make things worse when we don’t meet ourselves with kindness. When recognising a negative thought pattern meet yourself with curiosity, question and challenge the thought but don’t punish yourself for thinking it. It can be helpful to think about how we would talk to a friend that was struggling with negative thoughts and to speak to ourselves with the same love and patience. 

The 3-Cs framework is a framework that is used in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to challenge unhelpful thinking and encompasses many of the steps mentioned above. The 3-Cs, catching, checking and changing, serve as practical steps to help manage negative thinking. CBT examines the impact of thoughts on emotions and helps to identify and change unhelpful thought patterns. Adopting elements of CBT such as catching, checking and changing, can help to challenge negative thought patterns in the long run and create more positive thinking habits. 

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Negative thought patterns can be hard to spot but their impact must not be underestimated. When left unchecked, negative thought patterns can have an incredibly detrimental effect on one’s mental health and lead to a constantly negative outlook on life that leaves someone feeling stuck in a cycle of negativity. However, negative thoughts, just like all thoughts, are temporary and can be challenged and replaced with more helpful thoughts and caring behaviours that foster a more positive approach to life. 

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Further Resources:

• Mental Health Courses
• Stress Management Activities to Try at Home
• How to Talk About Mental Health
• What are the Different Types of Mental Health?
• What to Do About Burnout at Work