Dealing with Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTS)

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More than 2,000 years ago, there lived in India a sage who examined his own thoughts, and realized that all his thoughts can be grouped into wholesome, beneficial thoughts and unwholesome harmful thoughts.

Wholesome, beneficial thoughts are those thoughts that lead to his mental and emotional well-being, as well as his physical well-being. These thoughts are also conducive for those whose goals are the development and liberation of the mind from suffering. These are thoughts on love, kindness, generosity, joy, harmlessness, compassion and gratitude.

On the other hand, unwholesome, harmful thoughts are those thoughts that lead to his mental and emotional distress, as well as physical dis-ease. These thoughts are also harmful and are obstacles for those whose goals are the development and liberation of the mind from suffering. These are thoughts on anger, hate, avarice, coveteousness, cruelty and fear.

He further noticed that thoughts we persistently dwelled on eventually become our mental habits, tendencies or inclinations of the mind. These mental habits, whether we are aware of them or not, eventually take over our life.

If we have the habit of thinking mostly positive, wholesome thoughts, then we generally become a positive, wholesome person living a positive, pleasant life with generally good, pleasant experiences. On the other hand, if we have the habit of thinking mostly negative, unwholesome thoughts, then we are likely to become a negative, pessimistic person, who are likely to experience mostly unpleasant experiences.

It need not necessary be that the circumstances themselves are different. Rather, it is the way we perceive or view these experiences that matters. Because of our negative thinking pattern, we are likely to see things from a negative perspective, while someone with positive thinking pattern become more likely to see things from a positive perspective. Thus, the difference in experiences.

Knowing this, it becomes imperative that we learn to think more positively, and gradually replace our negative thinking patterns with positive ones.

Today, psychologists recognize two very common negative thinking patterns, which, if we make the effort to correct, can greatly enhance our overall well-being and improved our quality of life. The first of these is called automatic negative thoughts, and the second is rumination.

Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs) are repetitive and involuntary thoughts that occur spontaneously in response to certain triggers, situations, or emotions. These thoughts are typically negative in nature, and tend to be irrational, distorted, or exaggerated. They often arise without conscious effort and can have a significant impact on our mood, behavior, and overall well-being. They can also impact our relationships and physical health negatively.

Rumination, on the other hand, is the tendency to repetitively and passively dwell on negative thoughts, feelings, or experiences, often without making progress toward resolution or problem-solving. It involves repeatedly mulling over past events, mistakes, or perceived failures, as well as worrying excessively about future uncertainties. Rumination typically involves a cycle of overthinking and self-reflection that can lead to increased distress and emotional turmoil. Rumination can also impair our problem-solving ability.

So, now that we know the dangers of automatic negative thoughts and rumination, what can we do about them?

Here are some steps that you can take to deal with them:

1. Be aware of them
   • To change any of our negative and harmful mental habits, we must first become aware of their existence within us. Once we are aware of them, we need to acknowledge their presence, and take responsibility for them. This first step can be quite daunting to some, especially if there already exists a tendency for denial. But even for those who do not have the habit of denying, it is not easy to become aware of them as they arise. One needs strong mindfulness for this. That is why mindfulness practice and meditation are always recommended for those who seek to know themselves. Mindfulness is a very important tool for this process of self discovery.
   • Once you are able to be aware of them as they arise, then the next thing to do is to try to name them. Is this automatic negative thoughts? Is it rumination? Is it irrational thinking? What is this? Recognizing what they are makes it easier to deal with them, even though most of the steps needed to deal with negative, unwholesome thoughts as a group are quite similar.
2. Get to know them
   • This is following Sun Tzu’s advice – “Know thy enemies, Know thyself. In a hundred battles, win a hundred victories.” In this case, our adversary is our negative thoughts. Learn to recognize them. What triggers them? How do they behave? What makes them stop? How do they affect our mental and emotional states? Familiarize yourself with their patterns, dangers and habits. Get to know them well.
3. Avoid the triggers
   • Sometimes, you may be able to recognize some obvious triggers that set off the negative thoughts. The trigger could be a specific person, place or circumstance. In such a case, if it is possible and logical to avoid the trigger, then do so. However, it is not always possible, nor desirable, to avoid the trigger. In that case, you might want to try the next step.
4. Challenge their validity
   • Automatic negative thoughts and rumination are often based on false premises and beliefs. Not only are they not real, they are also not accurate or factual. They are born out of fear – a habituated fearful behavior that we have had for a long time. Knowing this, we can challenge their validity with some rational, logical thinking. We become our own lawyer, advocating why these negative thoughts are not true, giving ourselves sound reasons.
5. Replace with the opposite
   • Another technique to overcome any negative thoughts is to replace them with their opposite, positive thoughts. For example, if we have the thought of taking something from others, we can instead consciously decide to think of the opposite of taking, that is to say, we think of giving something instead. If we feel angry at someone, we can try to generate the opposite feeling of love instead.
6. Reframe (change perspective)
   • The technique of reframing is actually making a conscious effort to see things from a different perspective. For example, if someone cut into your lane while driving, and you react by being angry with them, then by reframing, you can try to see this occurence from a different perspective. Perhaps he is in a hurry to a hospital for an emergency. Changing our perspective in this way can greatly reduce our anger.
   • Another way of reframing is to put a space or distance between us and our negative thoughts. See our thoughts not from a personal perspective, but rather from a higher impersonal perspective, as an impartial witness. One way to do this is to say to ourselves, “This thought is not me. It is not mine. It is not myself.”
7. Refocus or Avert (change object)
   • A common technique that most of us are probably already using is the technique of refocusing or averting our attention to something else. Change our focus. Move our thoughts to something else not related to the negative thought or issue. This is not a form of denial, but simply a method used to free ourselves from the clutches of the negative thoughts and rumination.
   • One way to refocus our thoughts is to turn our attention not to the content of our thoughts, but to the process of thinking itself. So, instead of paying attention to the negative thoughts, we pay attention instead to observing how the negative thoughts are triggered, how they affect us, or how they eventually subside. This is the same as step 2 earlier, getting to know and befriend your negative thoughts, familiarizing yourself with their nature and characteristics.
   • If even this refocused failed, we may have to actually remove ourselves physically from the person, place or situation.

Generally, one easy way for us to unlearn our negative thoughts and replace with positive thoughts is to put ourselves in situations where positive thoughts are easily generated. This can be putting ourselves in the midst of a group of positive minded persons, such as a religious group, a hiking group, a charity group, or any group that offer such positive environment. Mixing with such groups frequently and consistently helps us to also generate the same positive mental state.

Finally, if all else failed, then it is still possible to seek professional help. Some psychiatrists or psychologisits are very skillful at helping and training us to change our thinking habits.

Hopefully, some of the above advice can be of use to you.