Personalization occurs when people believe that they themselves are the reason for negative events happening. If you’ve ever heard someone blame themselves for a negative situation happening, you’ve witnessed personalization. Many people who struggle with SUD can develop this mentality and begin to believe everything positive they have to offer is canceled out by their SUD. Why one might believe this varies, but in this thought pattern, you believe your positive experiences mean nothing despite your everyday life contradicting this belief. Ignoring the positive means believing your achievements and other positive experiences don’t count. For example, if you were to attach “I’m bad at sports” to yourself, you might feel negative about situations that involve sports or outdoor activities. A more extreme form of this is called “labeling.” Attaching a label to yourself or someone else affects how you feel about the target of your label. This thinking pattern will have you believing that the worst will happen due to one unpleasant experience in the past. If one negative experience influences your present experiences, you are likely overgeneralizing. Unfortunately, catastrophizing can often lead to relapse. Many individuals who catastrophize don’t consider more realistic and likely scenarios. This occurs when you exaggerate events and convince yourself that the worst possible result will happen, even if there is no evidence to support it. “Should” is a word that negative thinkers use as motivation, but it only breaks them down more. Most of the time, these statements are unrealistic when directed at others, they can cause anger and frustration. Using “should,” “ought,” or “must” in your thinking can cause you to feel guilty and disappointed about what you’re currently doing in life. Others may predict things will turn out poorly and believe their prediction is factual (also called “fortune telling”). For example, someone who jumps to conclusions may determine someone is thinking negatively about them (sometimes referred to as “mind reading”). In this thinking pattern, you make an assumption about something or someone even though there are no facts to support your conclusion. Below are six common examples of negative thinking patterns. Negative thinking can manifest in many different ways, which can lead to issues such as social anxiety, depression, stress, and potentially even SUD. In fact, at least one in four people who struggle with a mental health disorder also struggle with SUD. In response to these co-existing conditions, these individuals may attempt to quiet negative thinking or attenuate other symptoms of a mental health disorder with the use of drugs or alcohol. While there is no documented condition officially termed negative thinking disorder, negative thinking is often associated with other disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and can lead to other mental health disorders. Negative thinking is automatic, and the negative thoughts associated with it usually refer to oneself. However, for some individuals, it’s a constant thought process. Negative thinking is something that everyone experiences. The goal is to look toward a brighter future after entering recovery for your substance use disorder (SUD). Then, you can develop strategies to combat it and learn how to think in a more positive manner. To move beyond this negative outlook, it’s important to know what negative thinking truly is. Negative thoughts can infiltrate your thinking almost before you realize it, and that can drain your happiness in moments. We understand that this is sometimes far from easy. While you’re walking on the path toward recovery, it’s important to think positively about the future and do what you can to remain hopeful.
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