Life is full of highs and lows, and people adapt differently to situations. The body’s natural reaction is to embrace a coping mechanism that it deems fit under the circumstances. Experts describe a coping mechanism as actions a person takes to protect themselves from psychological damage from the challenges they are currently facing.
Not all strategies for coping with life’s downsides are good for you. Some options are destructive, and you may only realize long after it has done irreparable damage to your physical and mental health. It is essential to know the healthy and unhealthy coping habits so that you can arrest any negative behavior as soon as it appears.
Harmful coping mechanisms include adapting habits like alcohol/drug abuse, aggressive behavior, gambling, negative thinking, self-harm, negative self-talk, etc. Some actions deteriorate your physical health, and others diminish your mental health. Negative thinking and self-talk are harmful behaviors that compromise your mental state. The two behaviors involve entertaining toxic ideas in your mind and are considered unhealthy for the following reasons:
It Leads to Isolation
The occasional isolation is healthy when you need some alone time to rejuvenate before you let the rest of the world in your space. However, when the incidences of self-isolation are too frequent or if you typically enjoy the company of people and suddenly need to be alone, it becomes unhealthy. Negative thinking is associated with isolation because you feel the need to be alone to process your thoughts.
You are likely to also indulge in self-talk that only fuels your negative thoughts. The more you indulge in the behavior, the more harmful it becomes to your mental state. The mind has a way of going into an overdrive when you feed it with negative thoughts. Since you are alone, you lack any distractions to dissuade you from the assertions you give yourself.
You have a conviction that being around other people will only make you feel worse and keep isolating yourself. However, it never gets any better because your mind only fills up with negativity.
Emotional Reasoning
Negative thinking and self-talk lead to reasoning influenced by your emotional state. Your negated thoughts are only likely to generate skewed perceptions bordering on paranoia. You begin to conclude that something is true based on your emotional responses. Frequent indulgence in such behavior results in decision-making based on how you feel.
The decisions are bound to be harmful, and you may not realize it until you go through with your intended action. Negative thinking also spikes anxiety, and you always have a sense of foreboding. Every day ordinary things suddenly cause unease, and you do not enjoy doing the things that previously made you happy.
Emotional reasoning has a way of taking away your joy, pitting you at risk of depression. You see the world and people through a lens of negativity, biased by what you have gone through. You may shun people away, including those who want the best for you.
Personalization and Blame
Indulging negative thinking and self-talk is a symptom of a disturbed and conflicted mind. The person probably harbors unresolved issues or has gone through a traumatic event they have not healed from in the past. If you find yourself experiencing negative thoughts, there is a chance you wrongly blame yourself for your negative experiences.
The self-talk affirms your stance, and it is challenging for anyone to convince you that you are not to blame. You see the world through the lens of a victim and take everything personally, including actions from well-intentioned people. You perceive other people’s actions suspiciously and retreat every time you imagine there is a threat.
With repeated practice, personalization and blame take a toll on your mental health and affects your relationship with people. Other damaging effects of the behavior include diminished self-esteem, inhibited ambitions, lack of trust, etc.
Substance Abuse
Some people resort to substance abuse to cope with challenging life circumstances. Such people do not want to deal with their current situation and seek a temporary release from the stress they are going through. With such a mindset and negative thinking, you may consider drug use a possible solution.
Negative thinking and self-talk rarely result in positive solutions hence such outcomes. People glorify alcohol and drugs as providing an escape from reality, and your mind will convince you that it is the ultimate solution. You may not realize that the habit could become an addiction that is challenging to get over.
Eventually, you will need rehabilitation like the ones offered at drug rehab centers near Brooklyn. Getting over an addiction is a painstaking process that may involve several recuperation sessions before making a complete recovery.
Avoid Negative Thinking and Self Talk, Stay Healthy
The mind is powerful in influencing your actions. Hence, you must work on positive thoughts so that you do not make a move and regret it later. Negative thinking and self-talk creep into your mind slowly, and if you do not stop them, they can take over your life. Stay healthy and entertain positive thoughts only.
