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Journalism of Courage
Do you often catch yourself thinking about how ‘worthless’, ‘stupid’, or a ‘failure’ you are? Blame ‘Automatic Negative Thoughts’ (ANT) for such debilitating self-criticism, but most importantly, also make a note of the fact that while such negative thoughts may come to mind, they are far from being true. Talking about the same, Dr Daniel G. Amen, a psychiatrist, took to Instagram to stress that just because a thought comes to a person, does not mean it is true. “Thoughts lie. They lie a lot, and it is your uninvestigated or unquestioned thoughts that steal your happiness,” he wrote.
“If you do not question or correct your erroneous thoughts, you believe them, and you act as if they are 100 per cent true. Allowing yourself to believe every thought you have is the prescription for anxiety disorders, depression, relationship problems, and prolonged grief,” he added.
Amrita Roy, Assistant Professor at Jindal Institute of Behavioural Sciences, who specialises in Mental Health Rehabilitation, defined ANT as involuntary cognitions stemming from one’s beliefs and perceptions about self and others. “It is entirely normal to experience ANT, which is similar to any other thought. Anything can trigger ANTs, including events, sounds, memories, smells, visuals, etc,” she told indianexpress.com.
What kind of thoughts a person with ANT usually get?
Roy stated that ANTs can be in many forms, including:
All or nothing. Everything is seen as either good or bad. For example, a person thinks she/he is a bad dancer/performer because she/he forgot one dance move/step.
Magnification. One imagines the worst outcome from insignificant occurrences or exaggerates an adverse event.
Minimisation. People diminish their value or positive qualities. Often, people ‘jump to conclusions’ (make negative interpretations without substantial evidence) or tend to ‘overgeneralise’ (overemphasize a single event and draw conclusions based on that).
ANTs also include ‘blaming‘, ‘mind-reading’ (what the other person thinks about me), and ‘labeling’ (using tags to describe self or others).
Detrimental effects of ANT
Roy listed out harmful effects of ANT as:
-Self-doubt, negativity, and thought traps
-Distress and burnout
-Diminution of motivation and self-esteem levels
-Decreased productivity
-Feeling anxious, irritated, or depressed
How to control/manage ANT?
The good news is that this vicious cycle of negative thoughts can be managed. Dr Amen said that writing down or journaling is a way to kill ANT. “Whenever you feel sad, mad, nervous, or out of control, do the following: write down your automatic negative thoughts. The act of writing down the ANTs helps to get the invaders out of your head,” he advised.
Roy agreed and said, “Journaling one’s ANTs is the first step towards overcoming it by being aware. Only when they are identified and recorded, can they be examined in depth for their causes and consequences. Understanding the characteristics of their ANTs can help people to challenge them, refute them with a rationale or an argument, or substitute them with positive thoughts”.
Agreeing, Roy also suggested some ways to manage ANTs, they are:
-Challenging them with counter statements and arguments
-Using rebuttals with explanations and reasoning
-Substituting with positive thoughts
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