Dr. Daniel Amen of BrainMD advises people to, “K*ll the ANTs”: Automatic Negative Thoughts
He teaches anytime your brain has a thought, it releases chemicals.
- Negative thoughts release negative chemicals.
- Positive thoughts release positive chemicals.
Negative thoughts can pop up when we least expect them as we feel overwhelmed or anxious whispering things such as:
“They didn’t return my call. They must be angry at me.”
“My boss doesn’t like me.”
“I’m not good enough.”
“Who do you think you are taking on something that big?”
They can rob you of your purpose if you don’t take hold of them and discern whether they are truth OR fears trying to hijack your day or future.
You’re not alone to have these annoying “ANTs” crawling around your brain. In 2005, the National Science Foundation published an article summarizing research on human thoughts per day. The study found the average person has over 12,000 thoughts per day. Of those thousands of thoughts, 80% were negative, and 95% were the same repetitive thoughts as the day before. It’s no wonder many people struggle with feelings of being stuck, self-doubt, and anxiety.
Craig Groeschel in his leadership podcast reminds listeners, “What you say to yourself shapes who you become. No one talks to you more than you.”
The good news: you can re-program your brain and what you allow to march around it. The first step is awareness, examining the thought, and stopping to ask yourself as author Byron Katie coined, “Is it true?”.
If it’s not true, you can flip the lies into truth. People use a variety of methods. Some people use opposite “I am” statements to flip their negative thoughts and beliefs into something true. Others use scripture to replace the lie with truth. The key is becoming aware of what is swirling around in your brain before it takes your day away.
As a leader, you have limited energy and get to choose where you invest it. Do you want to spend time ruminating or letting negative and untrue thoughts steal your energy? Or would you rather focus on bringing your vision to life? You get to decide.
