Our Mind's ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts)

Humans have a bias towards focusing on the negatives. 

Why? Because throughout most of history, survival was linked to our ability to sense danger. In other words, those of us kicking around on Earth these days had ultra-paranoid ancestors, a gene that was passed along to our lucky selves.

The good news is that hyper sensitivity to threats — such as a hungry lion or an imminent attack from a neighboring tribe —  is no longer necessary for most of us. The bad news is that our brains don’t know that. 

The result? Obsessive, unending, automatic negative thoughts (or ANTs, as Dr. Amen, an American psychiatrist and best-selling author, calls them). 

Left unchecked, these ANTs can make our minds an inhospitable environment. If you’ve ever wondered how Scrooge or the lady you overheard yelling at her timid server turned out like that, the answer is a full-blown ANT infestation in their brains. 

Because ANT infestations are (1) ground into our DNA and (2) sure to produce an unpleasant result, both for ourselves and the people around us, actively fighting them is a necessary step to living a happy life. 

Obviously, this is tricky and requires consistent and sustained effort, but it’s incredibly rewarding. 

In his 10-day mentally strong challenge, Dr. Amen recommends 3 simple steps to fight your ANTs:

1. Whenever you're experiencing a negative emotion, write down your thoughts

2. Identify the type of ANT you have on your hands (Dr. Amen has identified 5 types —  Just Bad, Blaming, All or Nothing, Labeling, and Mind Reading ANTs)

3. Talk back to your ANTs

For my own practice, I take Steps #1 and #3 a bit further. When I feel myself dip into the familiar darkness of blame, doubt, anger, or sadness, I take out my journal and write out all the reasons I have to be grateful for the person/thing/situation that is at the source of these unwanted feelings. 

Last week, I was particularly upset with my partner (for reasons I can’t even recall, go figure). To combat these negative thoughts, I grabbed my journal and wrote this out:

What do I love about my relationship/partner?

• He is supportive and encourages me to be my best self

• He is caring and expressive of his love

• He is intellectually stimulating and challenges me to grow

• He is my rock

• We have a lot of fun and laugh constantly

• We are able to communicate openly and without judgment

• We try new things and are adventurous

I’m not saying that this little exercise resolved everything, but it’s safe to say that there’s no downside to practicing positivity — it leads to both a release of tension in the moment and a more peaceful mind. 

Well worth it, don’t you think?