can you deal with negative thoughts?
One way to deal with negative thoughts is to replace them with thoughts that make you feel better. Let’s say you just learned that you have a health problem. You might tell yourself “My life will never be the way it used to be” or “This is the beginning of the end for me.” That will probably make you feel pretty bad-and it will make your body weaker, just when you need it to be strong.
Or you could tell yourself something like “This is going to be a challenge for a while, but if I’m patient I can learn to adapt and still enjoy my life” or “This is a setback for me, but I can recover from it if I give myself time.” This kind of thought can make you feel better and more hopeful. And it helps your body too.
Do you have any negative thoughts right now? (Sometimes it’s hard to even know.) Take a minute, listen to your thoughts, and see if you do. If you’re telling yourself something that makes you feel bad, remember: You are in charge of what you tell yourself. So why not come up with something more encouraging?
They’re “just thoughts.” What’s the big deal?
Because of the mind-body connection, your thoughts really can affect your health. By telling yourself more encouraging things, you’re telling your brain to produce chemicals that can:
Lower your blood pressure.
Reduce your risk for heart disease.
Make your immune system stronger so you can resist infection and disease.
Lower your stress level and make you feel less anxious.
Help you avoid stomach problems, insomnia, and back pain.
Make you feel happier and more optimistic about the future.
