5 Of My Most Common Automatic Negative Thoughts
Automatic negative thoughts were something I dealt with pretty extensively when I was in a state of mind that consisted of self hatred. Thinking this way was something I didn’t really notice, but accepted as something I just did. When I stumbled upon hearing about “automatic negative thought” or ANT work from Dr. Amen, I was interested to hear more about it since it hit close to a problem I was having.
Automatic negative thoughts are unconscious ways of thinking about yourself or about life. They pop up and can cause a significant mindset and body shift into a way of negative thinking. Dr. Amen created a free workbook surrounding this idea of “ANTS”. In this workbook he explains from a psychology point of view what negative thoughts are doing to you and how you can work with them. He has a really tangible template to follow when you begin noticing these thoughts for yourself and how to redirect these thoughts.
That free template and workbook can be found here:
https://kerbyandcristina.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Killing-the-ANTs-Workbook-DIGITAL.pdf or you can google Dr. Amen ANT workbook and it is the 63 page PDF document.
These thoughts can be put into 9 different categories: all or nothing, less than, just the bad, guild beating, labeling, fortune telling, mind reading, if only, and blaming. I wanted to share my top 5 ANTS I found when I used this framework for redirecting my automatic negative thoughts I was having.
Just the bad
This one was my most common negative thought. Whether it was about myself or about something external, I would find myself only focusing on the bad that was happening. I was so critical of myself or my life and the majority of my thoughts were around focusing on what was going wrong. The workbook itself has more questions than I mention to lead you to getting rid of these thoughts, but a brief example I used was:
Just the bad definition: Seeing only the bad in a situation (Amen, Pg 9).*
The thought: “My life just feels so stressful and I don’t think it will get better”
Is this true? No
How can I redirect this thought: I am fully capable of figuring out solutions to my problems
Fortune Telling
I found myself using fortune telling when I would assume something negative was going to happen to me or that I wasn’t going to get something that I was wanting. It was me assuming negativity in the future for myself, and it made it difficult to want to go for any goals or anything new because these thoughts would predict it wasn’t going to work out because of how I saw myself.
My example of this one:
Fortune telling definition: Predicting the worst possible outcome for a situation with little or no evidence for it (Amen, Pg 9).*
The thought: “I’m never going to find a good job that I enjoy”
Is this true: No it is not a true thought
How can I redirect this thought: “Anything good is possible and I will find an opportunity for myself”
Less Than
This type of ANT was a common one for me too. Feeling down about myself lead me to compare myself frequently. I was rarely focusing on myself, but more so what other people were doing or putting myself in comparison with other people. This lead me to feel like other people were winning, and I was always losing the way I would use this automatic negative thought.
My example:
Less than definition: When you compare and see yourself as less than others (Amen, Pg 9).*
The thought: “I am not good enough to go for my writing dream”
Is this thought true: No it is not true
How can I redirect this thought: I am fully capable of being an incredible writer and I am deserving of following my dream.
Labeling
I used labeling as a method of automatic negative thought by automatically assuming something negative about myself no matter what I did. This was linked to low self esteem, and participating in a self fulfilling property that I was bad. If I thought these things about myself then they must be true, and it created me to be very critical and harsh on myself.
My example:
Labeling definition: Attaching a negative label to yourself or something else (Amen, Pg 9). *
The thought: I am stupid and lazy
Is this thought true: No this thought isn’t true
How can I redirect this thought: I am intelligent and I am proud of the work that I do. I go to the gym and I go to school and I am not lazy, but I remember it is okay to take a break.
All or Nothing
This ANT was used when I would get into a low self esteem spiral. Believing that things are all good or all bad would put me in a very distinct black and white thinking pattern about myself. I was either good or bad and nothing in between. Doing this gave me no slack on a harder day, and made al the good things about me disappear with this mindset. Believing I was all bad would lead to nothing being good enough, believing nothing was working for me, and that all the bad I was experiencing was deserved.
All or nothing definition: Think that things are either all good or all bad (Amen, Pg 9).*
The thought: I am doing nothing with my life and it makes me hate myself
Is this thought true: No this thought isn’t true
How can I redirect this thought: It’s okay to take a break during a hard time, I have goals and I am moving towards reaching them each day. I appreciate myself and my hard work.
I share my examples as a way to hopefully share some relatability in these thoughts other people may be having. They are extreme and dark, but they are real and when you get them on paper and start to question them it makes it easier than spiraling in your own head. Like I mentioned, the workbook has more questions and a better framework but I wanted to share my examples and experiences with my own ANTS. It is something I still practice today, and from time to time pull out this framework to refresh and make sure I’m watching those thoughts.
*Citation for the template: https://kerbyandcristina.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Killing-the-ANTs-Workbook-DIGITAL.pdf
