As mentioned before, once negative thoughts are recognised, the next step is to “weaken” them using psychological methods so they are less able to negatively affect the person having them. A method called “naming the thought” is a very powerful and quick way of weakening negative thoughts.
Negative thoughts often arise spontaneously and lie just beneath the surface of consciousness, like fish swimming just below the water’s surface. This means that negative thoughts occur almost without one being aware of them.
And just like fish, negative thoughts prefer not to be caught and brought out of the water!
The concept of “naming the thought” is essentially naming, using one’s inner voice, the negative thought that one has detected. For example, one might say, “That is a catastrophising thought”, and that brings the thought properly into one’s awareness. This simple act of bringing the thought to the surface can weaken it strongly.
Some may be quite dismissive of this concept: “Surely, it cannot be so simple!” The reality is that simple does not mean not effective. I suggest trying it and seeing for yourself how effective it is. I use “naming the thought” all the time, and I find it really does weaken the power of negative thoughts. There are, of course, other psychological methods that we will also discuss, but “naming the thought” is particularly effective and quick.
One does not have to use formal names such as “catastrophising thought”. Instead, one can use one’s own words to describe the thought, for example, “I am thinking only of the worst outcome”.
Many people have certain negative thoughts that occur more often than others, and over time, one will find it easy to remember their names.
I will encourage you to try this simple method. However, before you test the “naming the thought” method, I will describe how to do so effectively in the next section. It will involve a sandwich! I am joking, in the sense that it will be a “psychological sandwich” rather than one that you can eat!