Reframe Negative Thoughts from Your Inner Critic
Tips for Stopping Negative Thoughts from Spiraling Out of Control
A big problem with your inner critic is that it sometimes never shuts up. Once you start having intrusive thoughts, they tend to ramble on and on. In fact, these pervasive messages can feed off of each other until they become a constant barrage of criticism that leaves you doubting yourself and feeling stuck. The good news is that you have the power to reframe these negative thoughts and stop them from spiraling out of control and taking over. Follow these tips to take charge of your thinking and get yourself back on track toward your goals.
Recognize What Isn’t True
First things first. You absolutely must learn to figure out what is and what isn’t true when these negative thoughts spiral. As I’ve recommended in past articles, it’s always wise to look for patterns. If you keep telling yourself mean things over and over, chances are good that these things are rooted in your subconscious. They’re messages you’ve internalized from others or from your own self-doubt. Once you recognize the falsehoods, you can address them.
Challenge Negative Thinking
Challenging these negative thoughts spiraling can be difficult. One good way to do it is to think of times in your past when you’ve demonstrated the opposite of what you’re currently telling yourself. For example, if you tell yourself that you can’t do something, just think of a time when you did something that was just as difficult. If you were able to succeed in the past, there’s no solid evidence that you won’t do just fine in the present. Always try to reframe negative thoughts and ask yourself whether they’re realistic or if they’re rooted in something deeper like fear or self-doubt.
Reframing Negative Thoughts by Imagining the Worst-Case Scenario
Your inner critic can be more than a pain. As we’ve discovered along our journey so far, this internal dialogue can stop you in your tracks. It often holds you back from the things you most desire. It preys upon your most terrible fears in hopes that you’ll be too insecure to move forward. But what if you forge ahead anyway? What’s the worst that could happen? In fact, the worst-case scenario can be your best friend against your inner critic.
· About the Worst-Case Scenario
The worst-case scenario is usually an exaggerated belief about the outcome of a situation. This scenario is where the mind goes when there is ambiguity or uncertainty. Fear of the unknown is powerful, and the worst-case scenario plays upon that fear in sneaky ways. The worst-case scenario turns every potential outcome into a catastrophe when there isn’t necessarily anything awful lurking about at all. Often, things turn out just fine or not as bad as you thought.
· How Examining the Worst Case Scenario Can Help You
Looking back on past experiences you’ve had with the worst-case scenario is a good exercise. It lets you know that usually the absolute most awful thing you imagined never occurred at all. You can use that knowledge in the present to use the worst-case scenario to your advantage. The worst-case scenario is usually playing in the background of your thoughts, but have you ever taken the time to confront it? Asking yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen?” and then exploring that question can give you some insight and perspective to help you most past fear or anxiety. It helps to stop the tape that’s playing in your brain over and over and fueling those negative thoughts spiraling.
· Overcoming the Worst-Case Scenario
Confronting the worst-case scenario is the first step to overcoming it. Asking this question puts you in the moment and into problem-solving mode. You begin to look at the situation analytically, rather than through the lens of fear. This gives you control that was lacking when you just let your thoughts run wild, giving in to the worst-case scenario of your imagination. Instead, you can now take time to consider things like what the odds may be of the very worst thing happening or what it would actually be like for you if that thing did happen. Once you have a handle on things, you can move forward.
As you can see, the worst-case scenario doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. You can turn things around and use it as a tool to push you forward and defeat your inner critic.
Focus on a Solution, Not the Problem
One of the best ways to overcome stinking thinking is to focus on reframing the thoughts into something positive or to look toward a solution to a problem. If you’re feeling like you can’t do something, ask yourself if that’s realistic. Then try to think of just one small step you can take toward doing the thing that intimidates you. You can figure out additional steps toward success as you go along. When you’re able to look at things in a positive light and see a potential solution, it’s much easier to shut your inner critic up and to move toward achieving your goals.
Get Outside and Get Moving
Getting outside in nature and moving my physical body are two of the best tools in my toolbox. Doesn’t matter what I’m doing outside and doesn’t matter how I’m moving my body. Either or both of these two activities help me get out of my head and quiet the sometimes incessant noise of my inner critic. So if yoga is your thing, then grab your mat. If hiking, biking, climbing, running, cycling, gardening, skating, walking or any other similar -ing are your thing outdoors, then grab your gear. You can always find a playground or park nearby.
Keep these ideas in mind to reframe negative thoughts. Battling your inner critic is much easier when you have the right tools and weapons at your disposal.
You may also be interested in our popular ebook, Hush Now – Quiet Your Inner Critic, and the accompanying Workbook available on Sale now in our Digital download section or in our YouTube Channel.
