The labelling ANT attaches negative labels to oneself or others. Instead, the desire should be framed positively, for example ‘I should lose weight,’ can become ‘Losing weight will help me reach my goal of feeling more energised and confident.’ In this style of thinking words like should, must, have to, ought to, are often present, for example, ‘I should lose weight.’ This pressure often backfires and can be counterproductive for goal-setting, as people are rarely compelled to make a behaviour change after ‘should-ing’ on a situation. If we take our earlier example, instead of thinking ‘I failed,’ you can think ‘This is a great milestone and I’m on my way to achieving my overall weight-loss goal.’Īs the name suggests these ANTs often have guilt as the main motivator of the behaviour. People who are prone to this style of thinking are likely to say something like, ‘I’ve lost 10 kilograms, but I wanted to lose 12 kilograms, so I failed.’ This thought patterns can be broken by consciously seeking out the positive side of any situation. This ANTs can’t find the good in any situation and often seeks out the negative side of everything. You can reframe this ANT by challenging the generalisation, for example asking yourself, ‘is this really true? Is there anyone who takes me seriously?’ For example, ‘no one takes me seriously,’ would be an all-or-nothing ANT. They can be identified by looking for words like all, always, never, none, nothing, no one, everyone, all the time, every time. Like the pesky critter they're named after, these ANTs come in all different shapes and sizes.ĭr Daniel Amen has identified that there are 7 different types of automatic negative thoughts:Īll or nothing ANTs thrive in absolutes and live in a dichotomy – something is either all good or all bad. These automatic negative thoughts can be invasive and keep you stuck in the cycle of negativity. But hundreds of ANTs, like hundreds of creepy-crawlers at your picnic, can ruin your day.’ Two or three insects at your picnic become a bit more irritating. These thoughts can trap us in negativity and unconsciously weigh us down.ĭr Amen suggests that we think about these ANTs in the same way we would the insect, saying ‘One ANT, like one pesky critter at your picnic, is no big problem. Automatic negative thoughts, dubbed as ANTs by Dr Daniel Amen, pop into our heads routinely and are overwhelmingly pessimistic.
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