Black thoughts, fears not always confirmed in reality or excessive, inadequate interpretation of other people's behavior are experiences that sometimes accompany everyone. What if, however, when black thoughts become commonplace, making it difficult to function in many spheres of life? If tormenting with thoughts begins to be the main content of everyday life, it is worth checking what is behind it: habitual activity, cognitive patterns or starting he alth problems. Read what black thoughts are and how to stop torturing yourself.

Contents:

  1. Black thoughts: where do they come from?
  2. Black thoughts: how do they affect the psyche?
  3. Black thoughts: how to deal with them?

Black thoughts: where do they come from?

Black thoughts- it is worth looking at what they refer to, how often we experience them and with what consequences they are associated with. For the majority of the population, tormenting with black thoughts is only an unconstructive and unpleasant habit, for some it is associated with imprinted thought patterns that we got in our luggage as a result of socialization from caregivers, but for a certain group of people these may be symptoms of a disorder or disease.

Therefore, it is worth consulting a specialist if you notice the destructive effect of tormenting yourself with black thoughts. How we see and interpret the world, feelings, experiences, and behaviors of others largely depends on our cognitive patterns.

Black thoughts act as a "filter" that teaches us how to interpret reality in the process of education and maturation. The conviction about our agency, that others are just waiting until the leg ends, or that you must not enjoy peace, because some cataclysm will surely happen, are some kind of automatisms that are not always covered in reality.

Working with a pattern or belief is not easy, but it is possible. The ability to separate your thoughts and beliefs from those imprinted on us by others greatly facilitates everyday functioning and building a satisfying life.

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It's worth your while to try to see what these recurring black thoughts are about. Is it about broodingfailures, omissions, or rather possible harm we have suffered. What are they saying? What sphere are touched by the thoughts with which we torment ourselves? Are they related to self-esteem, sadness, sense of agency? The content of recurring thoughts is the key to dealing with them.

Often tormented by thoughts is accompanied by the feeling that it is unpleasant, it does me no good, but it is difficult to stop it. Some events naturally evoke worries: job loss, interpersonal conflict, difficult experience, or a vision of an impending challenge.

However, when we feel that everything is objectively well, actually we shouldn't have to worry, and the head almost spontaneously produces tormenting thoughts, this should not be underestimated. Over time, thoughts about a negative charge begin to affect social relationships, emotions, sleep, and over time, the general psychophysical state. The persistent impression that the whole world is waiting for us, wants to do us anger or harm may be the result of mental he alth problems, among others. depression.

Black thoughts: how do they affect the psyche?

Tormenting yourself with thoughts can have a purifying function and act as a kind of catharsis, but it is worth being vigilant, checking if plunging into negative thoughts gives a sense of relief, or only plunges you into a spiral of negative thoughts?

It is important to give yourself time to fully and consciously experience the emotions of sadness or anger when experiencing difficult moments. Being in a state of helplessness or naming experienced grievances play an important role in returning to mental balance, but if another week passes and the only thoughts that arise are negative, it is a signal that should alarm you.

Taking the worst-case scenario, the so-called Worrying in advance can play an important role in preparing for a difficult time. It is a kind of mental training that allows you to anticipate the worst variants and prepare for them. This type of apparent sense of control can be helpful in certain situations.

However, if such thoughts build in us only unnecessary tension and fear, and do not give a sense of preparation for difficulties, it is worth looking for ways to break the negative spiral of thoughts. If the fears related to, for example, an important speech do not constitute an opportunity to catch the gaps in our preparation and catch up, and tormenting ourselves with thoughts is only to build an alibi for possible failure and not to motivate to take up activity, then we are already one foot in a self-fulfilling prophecy acting for the benefit of the consequences we fear.

Black thoughts: how to deal with them?

Everyone sometimes experiences a crisis or episodes of low mood, but if this condition is prolonged, affects the quality of everyday life, he alth, social relations, it is worth consulting a psychologist or psychiatrist to plan the optimal way of coping with black thoughts. The following will certainly be helpful:

1. Catching a habit

Training to help you become more aware of your habitual thoughts, and the factors that trigger or favor them. Working on the freeze frame skill, for example, "I'm thinking of losing my job again, and yet I have no reason". Nature doesn't like emptiness, so when we try not to think about something, we paradoxically reinforce our thinking about that thing. The next step will be to consciously introduce a different thought into this place, e.g. recall a positive memory from the workplace.

2. Mindfulness techniques

They don't fight an unwanted thought, they just let it flow freely but consciously over their head. These techniques strengthen the ability to observe thoughts from the meta level and to consciously name the experiences that a specific thought brings with it. This allows you to distance yourself from black thoughts and break the spiral in time. Using all the methods that allow your head to be, experience "here and now" instead of returning to what was or producing an idea of ​​what will be, enables you to deal with tormenting thoughts.

3. List of ways to deal with crises

Each person has experienced the crisis and methods that were helpful in surviving it. It is worth writing down on the list what allowed to deal with difficulties, return to balance, let it contain everything that strengthens, calms and gives a sense of agency.

Realizing what crises you have already faced, e.g. worrying about losing your job may be lessened if you look at how you found your previous employers. Broadening the perspective, relying on the facts of the past allows you to master non-constructive guesses.

4. Look at the nagging thoughts as the message

I encourage you to check the content of persistently recurring thoughts about unmet needs: it is about the need for security and stability, attention, acceptance, rest, etc. If you consciously start working on meeting these needs, your nagging thoughts will cease to be needed. Maybe the time has come to slow down, take care of your peace and he alth, or clear up any misunderstandings you have with your loved ones - it's worth taking some helpful information from these negative thoughts.

5. Find your own way to relieve emotional tension

Relaxing with a good book, a funny movie, yoga or an intense run - there are many ways and it is worth spending a moment on the one that will work best for you. Physical effort, pursuing passions are motets that allow you to cope with the crowds of thoughts and the excess of emotions.

It also happens that things have gone so far, and the destructive influence of tormenting thoughts is already so large or difficult to control that the first step towards dealing with persistent tormenting thoughts should be a visit to the therapist's office. The support of a specialist can effectively accelerate the return to balance, improving the psychophysical state.

Category:

Psychology