10 Toxic Thoughts: Are They Ruining Your Life?
How do you do that? To start, consider reining in what you expect out of life. "We live in a society where we are programmed to think we are losers if we are not millionaires or on the cover of a magazine," says Los Angeles-based clinical psychologist Dr. Angela Wilder. Unrealistic goals lead to disappointment. And even if you do set high goals and reach them, happiness isn't assured.
Toxic Thought #1: I'm a Loser.
Toxic Thought #2: Someone Else Should Take Care of Me
Toxic Thought #3: I Need To Stay Safe.
Toxic Thought #4: I Know I Am Right.
How to get unstuck? The first step is admitting that you're stuck. Then look at what the underlying fear is and deal with that.
"When I work with people, I explain that these thoughts, however crazy they may sound, all have a purpose that served them at one time," says therapist Heide Banks, who works in New York and Los Angeles. "It then becomes our job to turn that thought around."