3 Questions to Combat Negative Thinking

This post offers 3 questions you can ask yourself to combat negative thinking.

We all encounter negative thoughts from time to time. The key is to prevent them from causing a downward spiral.

Any time you’re experiencing negative thoughts, try this exercise on for size.

First, get out a sheet of paper, fold it in half, and draw a line down the middle.

On the left side, brain dump every negative thought you’re having.

On the right side, write at least one that way you can change your situation.

As you go through the right side of the paper, consider the following 3 questions to combat negative thinking.

3 Questions to Combat Negative Thinking

To change my negative thinking, I consider the following:

• What’s a good reframe?
• What would someone I admire do in a similar situation?
• What’s the next smallest step I can take to make progress in the right direction?

Let’s look at an example of each with a common issue for many people:

“I hate my boss”

How could you reframe the situation?

You don’t hate them, but you’re not a very good fit for each other. This experience will make you appreciate good bosses even more. This experience will help you learn what not to do when you’re a boss.

What would someone I admire do in this situation?

My friend Jack always takes responsibility for every situation. He would go talk to his boss about how they’re misaligned and what they can do to help each other. Simultaneously, he’ll start proactively looking to switch roles.

What’s the next smallest step I can take to make progress in the right direction?

I can make a list of things they’re doing that adversely affect me, both in my role and in my life, and reach out to schedule a meeting to discuss.

You may approach this scenario in a completely different way.

What matters is that you don’t let the negative fester and disrupt your entire life.

In Summary:

• Reframe the situation
• What would someone you admire do?
• What’s the smallest next step you can take to change the situation?

There you have it—3 questions to combat negative thinking.

If you try these on for size, hit me up in the comments and let me know how it goes.