26 Jan Break Negative Thinking With These 6 Mental Health Exercises
Although some of us experience it more, and more intensely than others, we all have some negative thoughts.
Which is OK.
But if you really want to live a good life, a life of happiness and positive mental health, then it’s important to learn how to manage these unhelpful thoughts and ideally, develop more helpful and constructive ones …
via CNET by Laura Leavitt
We’ve all been there, stuck in a cycle of negative thinking that we can’t seem to kick. Thought exercises are a simple and no-cost way to break negative thinking patterns and boost your mental health. You’ll change how you perceive things and regain control with thought exercises.
They can also help us make our subconscious thoughts go in more productive, helpful directions over time, and they’ll eventually cut out those negative thinking patterns entirely. We pulled together a list of the top six thought exercises that improve mental health, and we’ll show you how to perform them.
Also learn which foods to eat for a happiness boost and which color to paint your bedroom for the best mental health.
What is a thought exercise?
Thought exercises are new ways to think about a given circumstance or experience that can help us get out of a stuck or unhelpful way of thinking. While some thought exercises have been studied extensively by psychological researchers, others are offered by psychologists and clinical mental health counselors because they’ve been helpful anecdotally for specific types of patients. Thought exercises may be suggested by your therapist, whether they are online or in-person.
It’s important to keep in mind that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all thought exercise. Feel free to try one of them for a few weeks and see if you like the way they impact your mental health and feelings of well-being. If not, you can try a different one. Thought exercises are meant to be a method of seeing the world differently, not a medical treatment.
What are the benefits of thought exercises for mental health?
Reframing thoughts is one of the building blocks of cognitive behavioral therapy, which has been found effective in many studies.
- A go-to thought exercise can help one maintain calm during a stressful moment and continue functioning, staving off a more severe reaction like an anxiety attack.
- Thought exercises can reduce the duration and intensity of anxiety symptoms even when not combined with traditional therapy.
- When paired with a mental health app, thought exercises can provide a log of one’s growth and changes in mental health.
- Thought exercises can make us more mindful of what triggers our anxiety, allowing us to make life modifications that help us to experience anxiety less often.
6 thought exercises that will boost your mental health
Next time you’re feeling stressed out, try one of these methods to help combat overwhelming feelings …
… keep reading the full & original article HERE