The most frequent way I decrease negativity that’s beginning to feel inappropriate or unproductive is by disputing negative thoughts, because most often, they are incorrect. Of course, it’s always important to remember that negative emotions are perfectly appropriate for many situations; it’s when they feel inappropriate, prolonged and damaging to your energy, productivity and creativity that it’s helpful to question whether you might feel differently if you look at the facts.
Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., author of POSITIVITY writes, “Perhaps the biggest advance in twentieth-century psychological science was to unlock the ways inw hich predictable patterns of negative thinking breed negative emotions, so much so that they can even spiral down into…clinical depression, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Negative emotions…can also spawn negative thinking.”
Here’s a tip for practicing your “disputing” skills to reframe your negative thoughts. If you’ve been following The Irrepressible Writer and/or are familiar with your explanatory style and know how to dispute negative thoughts, you’ll be able to use this tip right away.
If you’re new to The Irrepressible Writer or to Positive Psychology’s toolbox, take the time to read about what you’ll be doing. And learn to dispute negative thoughts before you use the tip below! If you have questions, do let me know! This post will give you an index for some of the general information.
Barbara Fredrickson describes this tool in POSITIVITY. It is adapted from the Penn Resiliency Program for prevention of depression.
Get a pack of index cards and:
- on each one, write down your personal and specific negative thoughts (not any negative thoughts, but yours – this corresponds to “B” on the ABCDE How to Dispute guideline)
- shuffle them and pick one at random
- read it out loud
- then as fast as you can, dispute it – out loud and with heartfelt conviction; make sure to use facts for a substantial dispute
- don’t write your dispute on the back of the card!
- work your way through the deck; add cards as you need them for negative thoughts;
- as you practice (hey, these are very portable!) you’ll notice that you get faster and faster – your brain is “getting” it.
For many of us, negative thoughts just pop right into our minds with the proper trigger. The more you work at this exercise, the more you’ll find those fact-based positive thoughts becoming just as natural.
Want to try it? 
This sounds like a great way to re-train the brain.
I know, and so easy and handy, too!