Did you know humans have between 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts per day? Unfortunately, some of these thoughts gravitate towards the negative, which induces stress and leads to a case of catastrophizing.

Let’s use a bad job interview as an example. Our initial thoughts may lean towards something such as…. I bombed today's job interview, I'll be unemployed forever… and catastrophizing would lead to… I’ll have to move back in with my parents, I’ll never succeed, I’ll die alone… you get the picture. Our thoughts can spiral out of control pretty quickly if we’re not mindful.

Below are three ways to push back on negative thoughts creeping in.

First…

Monitor your thoughts. When a negative thought arises, notice if this sounds familiar. Is this something you hear yourself say over and over? Negative thinking is a habit so it's useful to notice our thought patterns.

Second…

Don't suppress the thought or judge yourself for having it. You won't alleviate the negative thought by telling yourself I have to stop thinking about the job interview. Instead, just bring awareness to what’s happening in your mind. Say to yourself, I'm obsessing about this job interview and I'm thinking negative thoughts.

Third…

Challenge the runaway thought cycle by asking yourself, was it actually that bad or is my memory clouded by fear and anxiety? Does the outcome of a single job interview really determine my future? Am I serving myself by dwelling on these negative thoughts? When we separate from a negative thought, challenge and recognize it, we remove its power.