Changing Your Automatic Negative Thoughts

Did you know that your brain is wired for Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs)?

In this week's blog, I'm sharing Dr. Daniel Amen's seven most persistent types of ANTs that he has seen as both a clinical psychiatrist and through his brain imaging work at the Amen Clinics. He also provides seven simple and specific strategies for overcoming your ANTs so that you can begin to live an ANT-free life.

ANT #1 - The All-or-Nothing ANT - These ANTs treat the words maybe, sometimes, and perhaps as four-letter words, preferring to speak in terms of always or never, all or none, and everyone or every time. It's black or white thinking with no room for nuance or gray.

ANT #2 - Just the Bad ANTs - The Just the Bad ANT is unable to see anything good or positive in the world. More than merely dwelling on negative experiences or situations, this ANT loves to take a positive experience, relationship, or situation and turn it into a negative one.

ANT #3 - Guilt-Beating ANTs - Guilt is not a helpful motivator of behavior and yet it has power over so many of us. These Guilt-Beating ANTs are not only counterproductive to your personal goals but lead to self-defeating decisions and far less joy in your life.

ANT #4 - Labeling ANTs - When you label yourself (or someone else) with a negative term, you rob your brain of the ability to assess situations or people properly. If you label yourself as an idiot, you're telling your brain to group you with every person you've ever thought acted unwisely.

Even worse, the more often you assign yourself or others with negative labels, the more you strengthen those negative pathways in your brain. Those "ruts" grow deeper and it becomes harder to navigate your way out.

ANT #5 - Fortune-Teller ANTs - The Fortune-Teller ANTs think they know what will happen in the future but are also focused on projecting negative outcomes that have little basis in reality. They are unable to perceive any possible positive future. As such, they want you to live in fear of every uncertainty in your life.

ANT #6 - Mind Reader ANTs - This ANT believes it knows with 100% certainty what is going on in someone else's mind. Even though the other person has not told you their thoughts or opinions. the Mind Reader ANT tells you exactly what they are thinking.

ANT #7 - Blaming ANTs - This ANT doesn't want you to ever admit your mistakes or take responsibility for your actions. Even worse, the Blaming ANTs aren't interested in learning how to fix things or make situations right. It wants you to play the victim!

To remove an infestation of ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) from your brain, here are seven strategies that Dr. Amen recommends.

1. Eliminate ANTs as they attack - You can do this in three simple steps. First, write down the negative thought. Next, identify which ANT species (either one or multiple from the list above). Third, ask yourself if the thought is 100% accurate. As soon as you remind yourself that it's not true. The ANT begins to weaken.
2. Stop the thought by paying attention to it - Perhaps it seems counterintuitive, but think of your ANTs like an attention starved child (or ANT), it will begin to loosen its demand for attention and control. So acknowledge the thought and then move on.
3. Start every morning by saying "Today is going to be a great day!" - Before you get out of bed in the morning, set your intentions for the day. When you direct your thoughts to "Today is going to be a great day," your unconscious brain will help you uncover the reasons why it will be so. Each morning, remind yourself (out loud, if possible) that this day will be a good day.
4. End every evening by asking, "What went well today?" - Before you close your eyes for the night, write down (or meditate) on three things that went well that day. Doing this will set up your dreams to be more positive, giving you a better night's sleep, which in turn helps you stay in control of your thinking patterns.
5. Create optimism with a dose of reality - Be forward thinking and learn to see the possibilities that are all around you. A more optimistic outlook is generally associated with a higher quality of life.
6. Change the "B" stuff - People or events cannot make you do anything on their own. It is your interpretation of those situations that cause your behavior. That perception is what is referred to as the "B" stuff. Questioning the "B" can make a huge difference in your relationships.
7. Watch the movie, Pollyanna - If you need a lesson in positive thinking and turning bad situations into good, then this classic Disney movie (or the book on which it's based) is highly recommended.

Learn more about your brain by taking the Brain Type Quiz.

Until next time...Take Care of You!