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Accept that you will continue to have some negative thoughts. Distract yourself with positive activities. Take care of yourself. Use positive daily affirmations to build yourself up. Forgive yourself when you make a mistake. Congratulate yourself for little victories.
There's no shame in negative thinking; negative thoughts are caused by anxiety and not by who you are as a person. Wishing away your negative thoughts will most likely exacerbate the situation. Negative thoughts can lessen with practice and time. As long as you get into the practice of examining your thoughts and the role they are playing, whether it's to protect you or from feeling anxious, you can control how they affect you. Keeping busy gives you less time to dwell on your thoughts and can also remind you of the things you enjoy. Look for activities that you enjoy or try something new. For example, you could: Go for a jog: this tires your mind and helps reduce stress through physical activity. Take a walk somewhere you enjoy, like a park. Watch a funny movie or TV show, read a funny book, or listen to a podcast of a favorite radio show. Spend time with a friend, family member, or social community. Staying connected with others can help you feel more positive and turn your mind away from yourself. Taking good care of yourself can help you to deal with negative thoughts as well. Eating well, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly can help you feel better mentally and physically. Make sure that you are eating well, sleeping enough, and getting regular exercise to feel your best. Try to eat a balanced diet that include plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. Avoid junk food, as well as excess sugar and fat. Get between 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Keep in mind that this is only the recommendation for adults. Some people may be okay with less than 7 hours or require more than 8 hours of sleep per night. Exercise for 30 minutes three times a week. Even a 30-minute walk, or two 15-minute strolls, can count. Positive daily affirmations can help you to deal with the negative emotions that often accompany negative thoughts. Take a few moments every day to look at yourself in the mirror and say something encouraging to yourself. You can either say something that you believe about yourself or something that you would like to believe about yourself. Some examples of positive affirmations include: "I am intelligent." "I am a caring friend." "People enjoy spending time with me." Forgiving yourself, just like you would forgive a friend, is an important part of learning how to deal with negative thoughts. If you are dealing with negative thoughts that stem from mistakes you have made, you need to learn how to forgive yourself. One way that you can begin to silence your inner critic is to learn how to forgive yourself when you make mistakes, just like you would forgive a dear friend. The next time you make a mistake, take a deep breath and try to stop yourself from thinking any negative thoughts. Instead, practice saying something like, "I made a mistake, but that does not make me a bad person." Another way to combat negative thinking is to congratulate yourself when you do something well and remind yourself of things that you have done well in the past. Giving yourself a little pat on the back now and then will help you to stay focused on your positive qualities and stop dwelling on negative thoughts and feelings. For example, instead of dwelling on something bad that happened at school, pick one positive thing that happened and congratulate yourself. You might say something like, "You did an awesome job in gym class today!"