Breaking the Cycle of Negative Thinking: A Guide to Overcoming ANTs

Breaking the Cycle of Negative Thinking: A Guide to Overcoming ANTs What Are ANTs? ANTs, a concept popularized by Dr. Daniel Amen, are the automatic, negative thoughts that creep into your mind, often during moments of stress or self-doubt. These thoughts can take many forms, such as believing you’ll never be good enough, catastrophizing a small mistake, or assuming others view you negatively. Negative thoughts can feel particularly overwhelming because they feed into emotional sensitivity and a tendency to overanalyze situations. When these patterns of self-criticism or regret take hold, it can feel like you’re trapped in a loop of self-defeating thoughts. Stress and negative emotions can amplify this loop, making it even harder to let go of these thought patterns. For some, these thoughts may even feel engaging because the brain becomes hooked on replaying past mistakes or dwelling on potential future problems. The Role of Dopamine in Negative Thinking These negative thoughts, while ...