We’ve all been riddled with pesky ants; and the only way to prevent them from invading our space is to stop them in their path…the same thing applies with our Automatic Negative Thoughts.
Ant colonies have three sects. The scavenger ants are the ones that first appear; perhaps up to a dozen ants scattered around. The next group, are the worker ants which come out in droves, and then there’s the Queen ant.
The scavenger ants look for the source of food to take back to the colony; in the process they leave their scent along the way. The worker ants then come out in full force. They all line up one after the other ready to carry the food back down to their colony.
Ants mainly see through their sense of smell as their visual ability is blurred. So the only way to prevent ants from invading is to stop them from the start, and then clean the surface of their scent. That way, when the worker ants come out they don’t have any scent to follow; they get confused, and the invasion seizes.
I look at Automatic Negative Thoughts as ants…When you have negative thoughts you need to squelch them immediately by saying; “Stop, Cancel Clear, Quiet, Erase and/or Delete”. That’s the best way to stop any negative thoughts from taking over your life. The next step is to clean it up by giving yourself some PATS, Positive Affirming Thoughts. For PATS to stick, make sure that you believe in them, as you positively talk to yourself in the first person, present tense. Take a deep breath as you do so.
Remember you’re in control of those ants (automatic negative thoughts); get rid of them and give yourself some well-deserved PATS.
To Your Success,
Peak Performance Coach