If we identify with a negative thought, then there is no way to create space or distance from it, which is what can pull us into a negative, downward spiral. Negative thoughts are most powerful when they are unconscious, because this is when identify with them. Become aware of an automatic, negative thought The steps in cognitive reframing include:ġ. Generally being more conscious (here and now thinking, rather than mentally residing in the past or future) Realizing when we are drawing conclusions or filling in the blanks for facts we don’t have or can’t confirm Refraining from obsessing about worst-case scenarios and discounting how we cannot predict the future Practicing cognitive reframing doesn’t mean we have to invent or make up positive facts that aren’t actually present, but rather to open up our perspective by: The more negatively we see things, the more we believe our world is negative in this cycle, we can unconsciously find ourselves slipping more and more into negative thinking, which not only drains our own energy, but those of people around us, which can lead to isolation and withdrawal, and an acceleration of the negative, downward mental spiral.Ĭognitive reframing (which is a part of the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy toolkit) is a very powerful and easy-to-learn tool that we can enable us to interrupt a negative thought feedback loop.Ĭognitive reframing is the act of consciously changing the way we automatically perceive events or situations as negative. If not interrupted, this negative framing can spark a negative feedback loop that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. When we are stressed, in pain, anxious, scared, angry, we can easily fall prey to the habit of framing what happens to us in life in a negative, worsening-case outlook.
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