Negative thoughts come to life with consumption of negative media. Repetitive Negative Thinking (RNT) is a known concern with people. There are studies done to assess RNT in general population.1 But RNT is also commonly attributed as the early stages of anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, or depression.
I am not a doctor or therapist but here are some things that are sources of RNT to mitigate.
Books
Reading is promoted to be an incredibly healthy form of entertainment. It is not one of the most negative until there is excessive comparison to your own life. Books go into the thoughts of people but we cannot in real life. Books leave out important details like daily toilet use or cleaning the corners of the house. There’s more to our lives than what a source of entertainment shows and tells. Put the book down and don’t compare your life to the one being told.
Music
I avidly listen to music. Even down to some unexpected genres of metal. The caveat is to neglect songs that are negative in general. As much as I love the Emo genre I have left it behind in my listening. There are bands that sound similar and are all about positivity. That’s what we want to look for. Positivity in all realms.
News
I have a stigma with all 24hr news stations. Breaking news occurs even on channels without 24hr news. The only way to retain attention for 24hrs is to propagate stories and stir drama. None of them are healthy mentally because the focus on the negativity in order to create fear and retention.2 Turn off the news and stay in your life not the negative life of everyone else.
Social Media
On the same realm of staying in your own life. You’re aware of filters. They are so ridiculously common people misconstrue photoshopped people as being genuine and achievable. People live different lives and it’s easy to compare lives and be disheartened with our own. Put down the phones and step away from social media. They’re 100% addictive but it is a source of RNT.3 Focus on what is good about your own life and don’t compare to others. You have achieved a lot.
Keep an itinerary
This is something to keep track of in your gratitude journal. What gives positive thoughts? What gives Negative thoughts? What do you look at and how do you feel afterwards? Make a list and try removing those items from your list for a weekend. How do you feel afterwards? Start phasing out what triggers RNT.
Take a breather and identify exactly what is going through your mind in order to control those thoughts. You can do it. I believe in you.
Take Care!
Rachel McG
Sources:
- Rosenkranz T, Takano K, Watkins ER, Ehring T. Assessing repetitive negative thinking in daily life: Development of an ecological momentary assessment paradigm. PLoS One. 2020 Apr 20;15(4):e0231783. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231783. PMID: 32310979; PMCID: PMC7170251. Click here for link.
- de Hoog N, Verboon P. Is the news making us unhappy? The influence of daily news exposure on emotional states. Br J Psychol. 2020 May;111(2):157-173. doi: 10.1111/bjop.12389. Epub 2019 Mar 21. PMID: 30900253; PMCID: PMC7187375. Click Here for link
- Brailovskaia J, Margraf J, Teismann T. Repetitive negative thinking mediates the relationship between addictive Facebook use and suicide-related outcomes: A longitudinal study. Curr Psychol. 2023;42(8):6791-6799. doi: 10.1007/s12144-021-02025-7. Epub 2021 Jun 28. PMID: 34220175; PMCID: PMC8238028. Click here for link…….