Negative thoughts are a part of everyone’s life. They can be triggered by an event or even by our own minds. However, these negative thoughts can have a terrible effect on our wellbeing and make us feel worthless, this is why emotional awareness is important.
When a person with these negative personality traits has fallen into such a pattern, it may seem like there’s no way out. The only thing they can think about is the same problem over and over again—and their distress grows each time that thought replays in their mind. If you have been in this situation, you may have felt alone and not feel like sharing your thoughts with people, since they may not understand.
When you have control and the awareness of emotions that go with negative thinking, you can learn how to stop negative thoughts from forming in the first place.
This article will teach you how to stop negative thinking and break free from the negative thought spiral. You’ll learn what causes these negative thoughts, how to get out of the cycle once it starts, and what the 7 signs of a negative person you should look out for are.
7 Signs of a negative person
Being around negative people can be draining. It’s hard to feel good about yourself when you’re constantly surrounded by negativity, especially if you’re a naturally positive person. While it’s impossible to completely avoid negative people as well sharing your thoughts and ideas with them, there are some signs that can help you tell if someone is more pessimistic than others.
1. They are not open to change
People who are negative resist trying new things, learning skills, and eating foods that they’ve never tried before. They will also resist going to unfamiliar places and meeting new people—the thought of anything different in their lives fills them with dread.
They’re stuck in a rut, having the same old experiences day after day. This gives them comfort but doesn’t help them grow as human beings or live an exciting life full of new adventures.
2. They find fault with almost everything.
They tend to focus on what’s wrong with everything and everybody instead of what is right. Negative thinkers often find it difficult to enjoy anything other than spending time alone or with people who share their view of the world as dark, hostile, and ill-intentioned.
Pessimists may think that being constantly prepared for disappointment will protect them, but it actually doesn’t prevent bad things from happening. It just means they always expect the worst and feel justified in doing so when good results don’t happen as planned.
If you know someone who always sees problems before solutions or is focused on the negative rather than seeing the good in others, then chances are good that person has some negative personality traits to overcome.
3. Their glass is always half empty
When you are in the company of a negative person, you will notice that they are always looking at the negative side of things. They are pessimistic, and their glass is always half empty.
People with these negative personality traits will always see the glass as half empty because they have a tendency to look for the bad in situations instead of focusing on what is good about them. They do this because they expect life to be difficult, so when something good happens, they just brush it off as an act of fate or luck rather than being grateful for it.
You might also notice that these individuals are constantly looking for any reason why something won’t work out even if there’s no reason at all! For example: “We could take my car but I’m sure there will be traffic.” Naturally, this makes planning anything with this person or even sharing your thoughts about a situation very difficult since nothing seems good enough for them
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4. They believe that everyone is out to get them
This sign is common in people who feel the need to constantly prove themselves. They may create situations, where they feel threatened and attacked—when nothing of the sort has happened at all. This can be a result of low self-esteem, their emotional awareness, or a fear of failure, which leads them to believe that everyone else is out to get them and take advantage of them.
This is a sign that they are very insecure and have a hard time trusting other people. The problem with this type of person is that they will often accuse others of doing something wrong, even when it’s clear that the other person hasn’t done anything wrong at all! It will be hard for them to understand or have awareness of emotions that are having an effect on them.
This can be incredibly frustrating, especially if you are the person being accused. It’s important to remember that insecurity is an issue that needs to be resolved within the person who feels this way. You can’t fix them or their feelings; only they can do that.
5. They aren't grateful for what they have
If you have negative people in your life, then you will have noticed that one of their defining negative personality traits is not being grateful for what they have and their constant negative thoughts. They tend to take things for granted, leading them down a dark path where they become ungrateful and unhappy with everything around them.
Negative people are always focusing on the negatives of their life, instead of looking at all the positives and acknowledging what they have achieved thus far. This leads to an overall lack of gratitude for who we are as individuals, which affects our relationships with others in our lives as well as with ourselves
6. They tend to have No Emotional Awareness
Negative people are difficult to be around because they tend to act unpredictably. They may suddenly become irritable or gloomy without warning, and it’s hard to guess when their bad mood will strike next. This is because negative people tend not to have emotional awareness and the power their thoughts are having on them.
They may have an unhealthy internal dialogue that makes them feel like a victim and causes them to dwell on their problems instead of looking for solutions. They can be very difficult to talk to and you will have a hard time sharing your thoughts and feelings when they are in this state because they tend not to be aware of what’s going on around them or how it affects their loved ones.
The unpredictability of these negative people can make them seem emotionally abusive toward the people they are closest to. This can be stressful for those who are involved with them, especially if the negative person is a loved one. The stress of having to deal with someone who is constantly unhappy can take its toll on your mental health, and it may even make you more likely to become depressed yourself.
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7. They are always complaining about something
If a person is constantly complaining, they are likely to have a negative outlook on life. They complain about every aspect of their lives and the people around them, and this can be very draining for those who are on the receiving end of it. It’s easy to see why a person who complains a lot would have a negative outlook on life; they might not even realize that they’re doing it.
If you have a person in your life who is constantly complaining, it’s important to try and help them see the positive aspects of their life. Try not to take things personally; they may not realize how much they are affecting those around them with their constant negativity.
“What you pay attention to grows. If your attention is attracted to negative situations and emotions, then they will grow in your awareness”.-Deepak Chopra
Negativity can be contagious. If you’re around a negative person for long enough, you may start to feel that way too. This is why it’s important to surround yourself with positive people who will help lift your mood and make you feel better about life in general.
You may not realize it, but you might have negative people in your life or be one yourself. It’s time to take a good hard look at yourself and those close to you and evaluate how this negativity is effecting your life.
How to stop negative thoughts
Know when you're thinking negatively.
To start with, you need to have emotional awareness and know when you’re thinking negatively. It might seem obvious, but it’s important to acknowledge that negative thoughts are a part of our lives. Everyone has them at some point or another—no one is immune from negativity! The trick is figuring out how to spot when those negative thoughts are happening so they can be identified and addressed.
Knowing what triggers your negative thoughts can help you identify when they’re happening in real-time. Once this pattern has been observed enough times, it becomes much easier to have awareness of emotions that are causing negative thinking and get used to recognizing these patterns and making them part of our daily lives.
To stop negative thinking, you must first learn how it happens.
- Your triggers— What are the events and circumstances that cause your negative thoughts to occur?
- Your thoughts—what goes through your mind when a trigger occurs.
- Your emotions—what you feel when a trigger occurs.
Your experiences—memories of situations that remind you of earlier experiences
Related:Are Limiting Thoughts Holding You Back? Tips to Improve Your Self-Worth
Remember that it's unlikely people are judging you
When you’re feeling self-conscious, it can be tempting to think that everyone around you is paying attention to your every move. But this isn’t true—most people in any given situation are thinking about themselves rather than watching other people’s behavior.
The next time a negative thought creeps into your head and brings up feelings of self-consciousness, try replacing it with this: “People are more likely to be worrying about themselves than judging me.” This will help remind you that other people have their own problems, which makes them less likely to pay attention to yours.
Spend time with positive people
Spending time with positive people is a great way to get you back on your feet and banish negative thoughts. The more time you spend with people who are happy and optimistic, the more likely you are to feel this way yourself. Studies have shown that people with negative personality traits tend to bring down those around them—so if you want to be happy, limit your exposure to negative people as much as possible.
It’s not that spending time with negative people causes you to be negative; it’s just that the act of being around someone who constantly complains about everything makes it harder for you to stop yourself from doing the same thing. When you’re around supportive people, their positivity rubs off on you, and this helps reduce your negativity greatly and makes sharing your thoughts about life more easy.
Don't think in black-and-white terms
Resist the urge to judge yourself or others in absolute terms. When you think in black-and-white terms, you’re more likely to see everything as either good or bad and assume that something is either all of one thing or none of it.
When you think about things this way, it becomes easier for your mind to create negative thoughts such as “I’m always late,” “I never do well on tests,” or “My boyfriend is never supportive.” In reality, most situations are not so cut and dry. It’s almost impossible to be perfectly punctual 100% of the time. When you’re having a bad day just remember it’s normal for everyone to have off days once in a while
Ask yourself what someone you love would say to you instead
One of the best ways to stop negative thoughts is to ask yourself what someone you love would say to you instead.
Maybe it’s your partner, or a family member, or even a friend. Whoever it is—think about what they’d say if they saw you having that thought and wanted to help. What kind of advice would they give? How would they encourage you? What do they know about feeling down that can help you get back up on your feet again?
Remember: you are loved, so don’t let yourself be ruled by negative thoughts. Think of all the things they’d say to you if they were there with you right now, giving you advice on how best to overcome these negative thoughts.
You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind. – Joyce Meyer
Being aware of your thoughts and your emotions
It’s important to be aware of your thoughts, but it’s even more important to be aware of how you feel. Negative thoughts often lead to negative emotions. If you’re constantly thinking about all the things that are wrong with a situation and how things could be better, it’s easy for those thoughts to turn into feelings like anger and frustration. This is when emotional awareness comes into play
When you are in a negative thought spiral, you’re likely to experience feelings of not being enough or worthy and have a hard time sharing your thoughts.
When this happens to know our negative thought patterns and awareness of emotions can help stop negative thinking:
Focusing on the present moment: By simply focusing on what is happening right now—at this moment—you will find yourself less likely to ruminate over future events or wallow in past mistakes. As soon as negative thoughts about the past or future come up, try shifting your attention away from any worries about what might happen next and instead just enjoy where life is taking you right now!
Focusing on positive aspects of life: When dealing with challenging situations, it’s important not only to let them get too overwhelming but also to make sure that we keep ourselves grounded in reality by acknowledging all the good things around us!
Focusing on what you can control: When things don’t go our way, it’s easy to feel powerless or out of control. Focusing on what you can do, however, is an important way to make sure that we stay positive.
Focusing on the positive: If life has given you lemons, don’t complain: make lemonade! It’s easy to get bogged down by negativity, but focusing on the good things in life can help keep those worries at bay.
Focus on the future: It’s important to get out of our own way when we’re feeling down. Instead of focusing on how bad things are now, try looking forward to what you want most in life. Focusing on the solution: It’s easy to get stuck in a rut where all you can do is complain about what’s going wrong, but focusing on what can be done instead will help us move past these feelings and be more productive.
Become aware of negative thought patterns
Being aware of negative thought patterns is the first step to changing them. When we’re feeling down, it’s easy to find ourselves thinking about the things that are going wrong in our lives. Focusing on these negative thoughts can make us feel worse about ourselves and our situation.
Acknowledge these negative thoughts are just thoughts and not reality. When this happens:
- Become aware of negative thought patterns.
- Don’t be too hard on yourself.
- Don’t beat yourself up over your negative thoughts. It’s normal to have them; everyone does!
- Don’t ignore your negative thoughts, but don’t focus on them either (that’s just going to make them worse).
- Don’t be afraid to about sharing your thoughts with others – even if you think they’ll judge or criticize you for having those feelings in the first place;
- Don’t be afraid to seek help. Talk therapy can help you deal with your negative thoughts in ways that aren’t harmful or self-destructive.
Practice gratitude in your life
To stop negative thinking, it’s important to focus on the positive. It sounds simple, but we often neglect gratitude in favor of dwelling on what’s wrong with our lives. This can be a vicious cycle: focusing on your problems reinforces them and prevents you from seeing solutions. It’s time to break that cycle!
- Practicing gratitude has been shown to increase your energy, improve your mood, and help you think more positively.
- Gratitude helps you see the good in your life, which makes it easier for you to focus on what’s going right instead of what’s wrong.
- Gratitude allows you to feel better about yourself by focusing on what you do well instead of judging yourself harshly for your mistakes or weaknesses
Gratitude is one of the most powerful tools for positive thinking. When you are grateful for the good things that happen in your life, it helps you see all the good that surrounds you. This makes it easier to feel better and more connected to others
Take Away
The next time you find yourself dwelling on a negative thought, try to focus on the present instead. Don’t worry about what happened in the past or what will happen in the future—just stay focused on what is happening right now.
Next, think about all of your good qualities and things that make you happy. You don’t have to be constantly thinking about your flaws or failures; instead, take some time every day to remind yourself of who you are and how great life can be when it’s lived with positivity!
Remember negative thoughts are a normal part of being human. Everyone has them at some point or another. But the key is not to let them take over your life! It’s important to remember that these thoughts are only passing and do not reflect who you truly are as an individual.
By working on accepting yourself for who you are and trying new things regularly, you will be able to control what goes through your mind instead of letting it control your life.