Do you find yourself thinking negative thoughts? You learned these early on, and they get reinforced on a daily basis. It happens on television, the internet, and at work. It happens when you talk to people in your neighborhood. But, what happens when those thoughts turn from negative thoughts to destructive ones? And what if you direct those thoughts at yourself?
Destructive thoughts can be a dangerous path to follow. Hopefully, if they are happening to you, they won’t last, and you can get back on track. However, should they continue indefinitely, this should be cause for alarm.
Destructive thoughts, such as feeling hopeless, can turn into depression and despair. This can lead to other behaviors such as heavy drinking or drugs. It can make you withdraw from life and feel like you have nowhere to turn.
If you have been feeling down for any length of time, find someone who can help. If you are feeling depressed and even suicidal, don’t wait to take action. Depression is widely believed to be treatable, and treatment doesn’t always have to be with drugs. A qualified professional will know the right course of action to take. It may even be covered by insurance.
If you feel like you are not yet at a point of being depressed or thinking destructive thoughts, but the thoughts are still negative, you should be able to shake free from this. Start by listing what you have in your life. This doesn’t mean the material things. It’s the people in your life that love and care for you. If your health is good, this is another item to go on the list. These are items that make you grateful.
Visualization can also help alter your mood and your mindset. Think about times when you were happy. What was present during those times? Was it your friends and family? Whatever ingredients were present, try to recreate them.
Although this article gives some suggestions for things to try when you are feeling down, it is not meant to be used as advice. Only a qualified professional can diagnose if there is a problem and what to do about it. Don’t take advice from others who are not qualified. Family members may have good intentions, but they probably have not been trained to handle extreme cases of destructive thinking. Even if some are, it’s usually not a good idea to treat family members.