Epi 56: How to Challenge Your Negative Thoughts in 6 Proven Steps - Mini Mindset Reset

We’re kicking off the first mini mindset reset with one of the topic situations I am most asked about: how to challenge negative thinking.

So, let’s jump right in.

If you practice this exercise consistently, you’ll be amazed by how automatic it will become to challenge your negative thoughts and negative thinking loops. This practice is excellent for dealing with anxiety, too. So, give yourself 15 minutes and give it a try before you begin to work it into your day-to-day life. It does take practice.

02:22 Step 1: Become aware of your thoughts.

Literally, think about thinking. As you do, I want you to write down the thoughts that come in. With the thought on paper, look at the quality of your thoughts. Are they positive, negative, or neutral? Neutral being neither good nor bad. Then place whatever rating you have given the thought next to the sentence you’ve written.

03:03 Step 2: Decide whether or not you believe the thought.

Ask yourself: Is this thought true? Do I believe this thought to be my reality?

If the thought is positive, it will be easy to know the answer automatically. However, if the thought is negative, go deeper.

Ask: what is at the heart of this thought? Is it that you are forecasting how something will happen? Are you having a bad day, and what’s below that may change tomorrow?

Is the thought something you’ve been told? Ask yourself: Do I have proof of the thought’s truth? Or is this thought just something that I’m using against myself?

Once you know the answers and understand whether the thought is true or false, move into step 3.

04:44 Step 3: Leaning into whether or not the thought belongs to you.

So often, other people’s opinions, whether perceived or real, can cause us to think in negative patterns. So, ask yourself, does this thought belong to me, or has it spoken into me by someone else?

If the thought does not belong to you and it does not work for you, you can give yourself permission to let it go.

However, if the thought is yours and it isn’t working for you, it’s here we move into step 4 of challenging our negative thoughts.

06:10 Step 4: Is this thought how I want to feel?

This is a big question that can often shake the thought pattern to a halt. Our thoughts drive our emotions, and our emotions drive our actions. If we think negative thoughts, we feel negative, and then we act accordingly. So, is this thought how I want to feel?

If the answer is no, we can say, what is this thought trying to teach me?

07:08 Step 5: Is there a lesson in this line of thinking?

Is it trying to show me that I have something I need to address, heal, or move through? It is trying to help me understand that I’m ready to move on from something? What is in this for me? Now, there are times that a negative thought is just a negative thought. So, don’t overthink it. You’ll know if there is something below the surface.

Once you know, move into step 6.

08:03 Step 6: Is there an opposite to this thought?

If the thought is, “I feel stuck,” and the opposite of that would be “I am ready to move forward in every area of my life.”

What is the opposite? Take a moment to write out the opposites.

With the opposites written out, we can move into step 7.

09:14 Step 7: Challenge the thought with a new thought.

If you know there’s an opposite, you can challenge the thought with the opposite.

That sounds like: “I feel stuck.” “No, I actually feel ready to move forward. I am ready to seek the tools I need to do so.”

You either challenge the thought by giving yourself permission to let it go and replace the thought with something new and better or offer self-grace for the thought and work to release the pattern.

You can ask yourself: Is there something of greater worthiness to focus my attention on. And generally, there is.

With practice, you can train yourself to automatically challenge the thoughts that may be preventing you from fully thriving in your day-to-day. This exercise can be used on any thought, anxiety-building situation, or stressful moment anywhere, at anytime.

I challenge you to challenge your thoughts. It is an essential life tool that helps elevate and reset your mindset.   

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