Do you struggle with negative thoughts that just show up and pop in out of nowhere?

This video post is for you!

We all have ANTS, but I'm not talking about those creepy crawly bugs that pop out in the summertime. I'm talking about Automatic Negative Thoughts. 

Keep reading for seven different ways that you can crush your Automatic Negative Thoughts.

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If you prefer to read, here’s what you need to know about Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs):

Even though ANTS are meant to protect us from harm, sometimes they can be really problematic. Especially if they're impacting our self-esteem and confidence. They can keep us from taking positive risks if we let them. 

We can't always control the Automatic Negative Thoughts that pop into our head, but we can learn how to respond to them in healthy ways.

Giving yourself a break to distract yourself from these initial thoughts when they're really intense and stressful can be helpful.

That way, when you go back to whatever problem is causing those Automatic Negative Thoughts to pop up in the first place, you're a little calmer and clearer. Which means you can now reasonably solve the problem. 

Dialectical Behavior Therapy breaks down their distraction coping skills into seven different areas, using the acronym A.C.C.E.P.T.S.

ACTIVITIES

A great way to redirect our attention is by keeping ourselves busy doing something other than just thinking about these thoughts. 

• Doing a puzzle

• Reading a book

• Watching a movie 

• Practicing/playing a sport or instrument

CONTRIBUTING

When you contribute, it means that you are doing something for the greater good— whether that is for your immediate family, for your classmates, for a loved one, for a friend, social justice at large. Anything that you can do to be a part of, and that's helping. 

• Writing a letter

• Saying thank you 

• Showing up and helping out for a cause, mission, or program you really support

• Even putting away the dishes (without your parents asking) 

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COMPARING

Now this is one of those coping strategies that can get a little dicey, so you have to be intentional about how you use comparing. A lot of people will use this coping skill to compare their experience to somebody else's, but I don't really find that helpful. It usually either leaves you feeling superior or less than somebody else, and that just doesn't feel good. 

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I like to suggest comparing your own experience to your previous experiences in this area, or to your future experience. 

For example, with teens, I know being in high school can be really miserable at times, and it can feel like it's going to last forever. When you can compare your experience knowing that high school ends for everyone, hopefully successfully, then taking a moment to consider your future, after high school can be really beneficial. 

Another example of comparing yourself to your past is keeping track of your progress.

When it comes to something like exercising or working out, it takes time to build flexibility and stamina, and endurance. So by keeping track of where you're starting and where you're growing can be really motivating and beneficial as well. 

Notice that you're tracking recording your own progress, and not somebody else's.

EMOTIONS

Triggering other emotions that counteract negative thoughts is another way to distract ourselves! By engaging in activities that we know will pull out emotions other than the negative ones that come with ANTs, we can actually shift ourselves away from the negative. 

You’ll shake up your thinking process a bit so that you're not getting stuck in one way of thinking.

• Watching a scary movie, or a comedy

• Doing something silly— like dancing around 

• Doing anything that's gonna shift your mood into another emotional state

PUSHING AWAY

Pushing away means taking some time or space away from the thoughts with the intention of coming back to them. 

It is a favorite coping strategy of teens because it can look like you're pushing away negative thoughts, but you are avoiding the situation if you never go back to it. And that's not healthy. 

You can push away your negative thoughts by:

• Journaling or creatively expressing them

• Write your thoughts in a letter and put it somewhere you can look at it later when emotions aren’t as strong 

• Vent or talk to a friend

• Take a nap!

THOUGHTS

You can replace your current negative thoughts with new thoughts:

• Playing thinking games (like reciting the alphabet backwards, or counting backwards from 100 to 0 by 7s

• Reciting song lyrics

• Reciting a poem

• Reciting a passage that’s important to you

SENSATIONS

Focusing on the way your different sensations feel can be really helpful and distracting as well:

• Taking a cold shower

• Holding an ice cube in your hand 

• Squeezing a stress ball

Tell me….

I hope that you found this information valuable and helpful and if you did, let me know in the comments over on my YouTube channel- you can click here to go to this video.

And please be sure to share this video because you never know who you could be helping in the process.

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Want even more positive influences in your teen's life? Teen Growth Therapy Group is a weekly space where your teen can connect with others dealing with anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem. By talking and learning together, they learn to feel better about the relationships they have with themselves and others.

Are you still bored? Click this link to watch 50 things to do to make time go by faster!

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