Most of us know what it's like to feel negative from time to time. It's normal. Our human brains inherently have a negativity bias. It's been crucial to our survival as a species.

But what about those times when you find yourself getting caught in a negative thinking loop - a negative focus that induces a state of stuckness and throws you into a downward emotional spiral? 

I get it. I've been there. 

And what I've learnt is that it doesn’t matter how justified we are in our negative thoughts, how valid and reasonable those negative thoughts might seem.

Persistent negative thoughts are not helpful to us.

For instance, perhaps you've behaved in a way you don't like. 

The more you focus on what you don’t like, the more your focus is on the negative, the more those thoughts will make you feel bad - frustrated, irritated, angry, ashamed, sad.

Feel familiar? If so, here's a strategy to help you stop the negative looping.

SPIN:

S - Stop fuelling the negative. Consciously get your attention off your failings and what you don't like. Stop talking, thinking, and ruminating about it. 

P - Positively focus on what’s good instead. What do you like? List those things - write them down, think about them.

I - Invert. What’s the flip side, the opposite of what you don’t like? Label it in a positive way. (So, if you think you’ve been ‘mean’, the opposite could be ‘generous’.)

N - Nourish that new thought. Consciously seek out and focus on times when it was true. (When have you been generous in your life?) Write those times down, think about them. 

Let these new thoughts enrich your intentions and actions from now on.

Catch yourself whenever you have a negative focus and consciously spin.  

Want more? Why not arrange a free and informal chat with me? Let's talk.