Author: Claire Leong, MCouns BPsy
Negative automatic thoughts, or NATs, are negative thoughts based on the beliefs you have. They cannot be controlled directly, but we can indirectly control them by challenging the beliefs leading to them.
Examples of NATs:
I am useless
Nobody loves me
Everything I do is wrong
I am worthless
<aside> 💡 What are some NATs you have? [list them here]
</aside>
These are events that take place which lead to the NAT coming up. When was the last time a NAT came to mind? What happened that led to it?
Sure, maybe you got scolded at work three times this week. But does that really mean you can't do anything right at all? What are some things you can do right?
Looking at the evidence against NAT, you can think of some new thoughts. Are there things that you can look at in a different way? What is a better way you can look at your NATs?
This can be very difficult. You can ask a friend for help if you want to.