How To Combat Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs)

Did you know that the recovery stage after an abusive relationship can be a breeding ground for ANTs?

Writing down Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs) gets them out of your head, so you can analyse them (also known as “taking the thought to court”) and put the thought into perspective.

➡️Write down the negative thought.

➡️Write down if you have any factual evidence that supports the thought (would this evidence hold up in court?)

➡️If there isn’t any evidence, then work through the thought, to find what triggered it.

➡️Once you know the root cause, you can learn to recognise if it was an automatic negative thought (ANT).

🐜If it is an ANT, over time you’ll learn to stop the thought as soon as it enters your head and before it makes you emotionally react, as you’ll know that it isn’t associated with your present situation and instead, has been triggered by something that’s linked in your memory to a past negative situation.

This is a good technique to use if you’ve been in an abusive relationship and you’re getting ANTs in a new relationship🐜🐜🐜

Anything connected to your ex, for instance, something he used to say, a scent he used to wear, a song that reminds you of him, can all trigger past memories and cause anxiety 💀

If you’re still feeling vulnerable, your new partner can accidentally cause a negative reaction if he uses the same phrase your ex did/ doesn’t reply to a message/ leaves the house suddenly etc.😩

Using the flow chart can help you to identify what has caused your reaction or emotion and then you can see if there’s anything you can do to change or resolve it ✅

The more you “take a negative thought to court” the easier it gets, until you can stop a thought in its tracks and calm down quickly, or not emotionally react at all ❤️‍🩹

'How to combat ANTs' flow chart

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I'm Aimee, a #MentalWellbeingCoach specialising in supporting females who are recovering from #DomesticAbuse.

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