Overcoming Unhelpful Thought Patterns

What have you been thinking about today? Maybe you’ve focused on what you haven’t done yet, or how you could have handled a situation differently. These thoughts can shape how you feel and how you see yourself. Learning simple ways to think differently about yourself and your experiences can bring more balance and improve your wellbeing. This is not about fixing yourself but about noticing where you place your attention and choosing to shift it.

How Attention Shapes Our Experience

Our minds naturally focus on what feels urgent or important. Sometimes, this means we zero in on what’s wrong or what we haven’t achieved. For example, you might think, “I haven’t done enough today,” even though you’ve already taken meaningful steps like exercising, helping a family member, or completing tasks. This focus can make you feel stressed or inadequate.

Positive psychology and mindfulness show that what we focus on tends to grow stronger. If you pay attention to worries or self-criticism, those feelings become louder. If you notice positive moments or your own efforts, those become more visible. This doesn’t mean ignoring challenges or mistakes but choosing to see them with kindness and understanding.

Recognizing and Interrupting Unhelpful Thought Patterns

Many people experience thoughts that don’t serve them well. These might be harsh judgments, fears, or negative labels about themselves. For example, after making a mistake, you might think, “I’m dumb,” or when feeling anxious, you might reach for comfort foods or react with anger.

These reactions often come from well-worn brain pathways created by repeated habits. Neuroscience tells us that neurons form strong connections when we repeat the same thoughts or behaviors. This makes certain reactions automatic and hard to change.

The good news is that you can interrupt these cycles. The first step is to notice your thoughts without judgment. Then, intentionally shift your perspective to one that offers more balance and compassion. For example:

• Instead of “I’m not good enough,” try “I’m doing my best right now.”

• Instead of focusing on what’s missing, acknowledge what you have accomplished.

• When feeling overwhelmed, remind yourself that it’s okay to take a break.

  
  

If negative thinking becomes too heavy to bear, consulting a mental health professional. Therapy can equip you with essential tools to manage negative thoughts more effectively. On average, individuals who engage in therapy report a significant increase in their quality of life and emotional well-being.

Cognitive behavioural therapy CBT is one of the most used therapies in the treatment of stress and anxious thoughts, helping you identify negative thinking patterns and also providing important stress management tools and skills. Through stress management hypnotherapy CBT and NLP we can help you manage stressful situations more positively and calmly. We work with an integration approach to tackle automatic responses to stressful triggers, so you can think feel and behave differently in these situations. The integration of hypnotherapy and psychotherapy is more effective than using NLP alone. The self-awareness that the integrative approach offers renders it a highly successful way to quickly eliminate negative thoughts, emotions and limiting beliefs allowing you to generate a more positive future, improving stress sensers response. 

The deep relaxation experienced through Stress Management Hypnotherapy and stress Psychotherapy greatly reduces stress and improves mood.