The Impact of Negative Thoughts and How to Process Them

Let’s be candid; everyone has negative thoughts.  I know some people have fewer than others, but no one is immune.  Today, I want to share some research around negative thinking that made an impact on me. 

We all have bad days and rough seasons in life.  During these times there will be more negative thoughts naturally.  In listening to the research of Trevor Mowad, who is known as the world’s best brain trainer and works with top athletes and CEOs, I was blown away with just how much power there is in negative thoughts.  The power of a negative thought is 4 to 7 times more powerful than a positive one.  If a positive thought is spoken, it has ten times the energy than one not spoken.  In comparison, if a negative thought is said out loud, it has 40 to 70% more power.  This research is sure to make me think twice before I speak! 

In my experience, I see women struggle with negative thinking more than men.  The statistics show 80% of our daily thoughts are negative, and of those negative thoughts, 95% are repetitive.  Male or female, it is time to have a conversation with the person in the mirror if this is an issue for you. 

External factors influence our thoughts, too.  The five people you spend the most time with are your top influencers and determine how you think and grow. As you take a look at your top five, are they helping push you forward in a positive way, or are they bringing you down?  After I learned this fact, I had to adjust my circle.

Other external forces, such as the news and other media, can also affect our thoughts. A 2012 University of Pennsylvania study found that three minutes of news can increase negative thoughts by 27%.  I challenge you to do an audit on what you are exposing yourself to and confirm it is at the right level.

 If struggling with negative thoughts is an issue for you, I want you to rest assured it is something you can fix. The human brain has incredible powers and we can train it to not only think more positively, but also to process negative thoughts more effectively.  I covered a list of ways to change your mindset in another post, but one easy way I will share here is to write three positive things down that happen every day.  This simple practice is a great way to start your journey to a more positive mindset.  When I am working through negative thoughts, I like to use the Self-Coaching model by Brooke Castillo.  Brooke’s model shows that circumstances, which are always neutral, can cause thoughts that cause feelings, that can create action, and lead to our results. 

Overall, negative thoughts affect our performance.  To be the best version of ourselves both personally and professionally, we need to minimize the number of negative thoughts and understand how to work through them without getting stuck in a negative mindset. Make sure you perform a self-assessment and look at who you are spending the most time with and what other areas you may be gathering influence. Use the self-coaching model to process negative thoughts as they occur.  If you have further questions, feel free to reach out to me.  I am here for you! 

More information on sources I covered above:

Achor, Shawn, and Michelle Gielan. “Consuming Negative News Can Make You Less Effective at Work.” Harvard Business Review, 14 Sept. 2015, hbr.org/2015/09/consuming-negative-news-can-make-you-less-effective-at-work.

Brooke, Castillo. “The Self Coaching Model Guide.” What Is the Self-Coaching Model?, 2020, thelifecoachschool.com/self-coaching-model-guide/.

Mylett, Ed, host “Destroy Negative Thoughts with Trevor Mowad.” Ed Mylett Show, 12 May 2020. https://www.edmylett.com/podcasts/.