Ways Negative Thinking Impacts Your Mood

Negative thinking affects the way we feel, think, and behave. It impacts our personal and professional relationships, which can leave us feeling unappreciated and defeated. Negative thinking also makes us question our self-worth; it can cause us to fall into the rabbit hole of wondering if we are “good enough” for our partner, “good enough” at parenting, etc. Negative thinking also impacts our mental and physical health. It is unhealthy, toxic, and dangerous. Negative thinking can be the core of some challenges with anxiety. Many people express feeling anxious. Often, anxious feelings are associated with the perception of a scenario. If you view that scenario as negative, it makes sense why you would become anxious. The intention of this blog is to encourage you to curb negative thinking so you can allow space and time for positive thoughts.

Negative thinking can lead to anxiety

All people want to have a sense of safety. That being said, it is normal to have a set of defenses that help us to feel safe. However, it is important to ask: are those defenses serving you well? Sometimes, we use defenses that we are not aware of. Sometimes we create a scenario in our mind that will allow us to feel as if we have control over a situation, helping us to feel safer. Since we don’t have all of the information and we don’t actually know how things will turn out, we tend to want to fill in the blanks.

Often, this occurs when we want to have a sense of control over the situation. For example, when people say “don’t get your hopes up,” that is a way of saying, “prepare yourself for the worst.” When we prepare ourselves for the worst case scenario, we start the process of negative thinking. As we start that process and get deeper into it, we emotionally attach ourselves to that negative thought as if it has already happened. Attaching to a negative thought often leads to feeling anxious about that scenario. Suddenly, we become filled with anxiety about something that has not yet happened.

Ways negative thinking impact relationships

Maintaining healthy relationships can be extremely challenging. Therefore, we must be mindful of how our reactions are impacting others. Being aware of our emotions is a skill that takes time to master. If we interact with people from a perspective of always needing to be right and always needing to be liked, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment.

Usually, when we interact with others from this unhealthy perspective, we create a script for ourselves. Often, however, this script is far from our true self. When people don’t respond according to the script we have created, we get defensive. This defensiveness then turns into negative thinking about the individual. In many cases, that disappointment may turn into expecting the worst case scenario. This may cause you to lose hope and interest in a relationship. Have you ever given up on asking something of your partner because you think you know what they will say? Maybe you have been disappointed in the past and, in order to control being exposed to disappointment, you don’t bother to ask. This pattern of negative thinking can snowball into thinking that your relationship is unfulfilling. 

Negative thinking impacts our level of self-worth

Have you ever put something off because trying it for the first time was too intimidating? Or perhaps just the thought of trying that thing stirs up some anxiety. If we approach the situation from a place of fear and anxiety, we are not allowing ourselves the space and time to learn and be creative. Many people tend to doubt their abilities because they can not see past the negativity that they are creating. Some people tend to think that they are not good at something before they try.

For example, maybe you put off that career change because of negative thinking. Perhaps you won’t leave that unhealthy relationship because you have created a negative thought around what that might mean for you. Or, maybe you continue to eat unhealthy food because of the weight you’ve gained and you don’t see the point in making any changes. Negative thinking can make us feel as if we don’t deserve better for ourselves. This can also make us feel undesirable and hopeless.

How negative thinking impacts mental health

Negative thinking can cause anxiety and depression. As mentioned at the top of this blog, negative thinking affects the way we feel, think, and behave. Many people are accustomed to thinking negatively. Have you ever had a friend that was a negative thinker? No matter what you say to them, they find something negative to say. They are fixated on believing that nothing will work out for the best. Having a positive outlook on things is completely foreign to them. Perhaps that friend was raised in a home with negative thinking parents. Maybe their parents have brought so much attention to the things that could go wrong they don’t know what it is like to think about what could turn out well. When we only see things through a lens of negativity, we can experience anxiety and symptoms of depression. 

Watch a video blog on how to shift negative thinking

If you are a negative thinker, don’t be discouraged by this blog. Use this as an opportunity to change the unhealthy behavior that is not serving you well. While negative thinking may make you feel as if you are in control by preparing yourself for the worst – you’re wrong. Negative thinking gives us a false sense of control and stops us from evolving and trying new things. Essentially, it impacts our quality of life. That said, it is never too late to change. Lastly, don’t be too hard on yourself if you have a hard-time making the change. Being a negative thinker evolves over time, so be patient with yourself as you gradually make the change.

If you are stuck in negative patterns of thought, seeking therapy can help you to shift your mindset. Reach out to myTherapyNYC to book a free consultation and get set up with one of our therapists.

What strategies do you use to combat negative thinking? Join the conversation in the comments below!