Sunday, November 20, 2011

Thought Bubbles: ANTs

What is an ANT? some small creature?Please remember that this creature is far stronger than his size and can carry many times his weight. So can Automatic Negative Thoughts. This concept was discovered by Sally-Anne McCormick out of Australia.
This is a thought process that we have trained our brains into over many years. It starts when the parent is trying to be corrective in the formative years. But over usage and focusing on these thoughts can cause depression and anxiety.

I turned to a devotional prayer book this morning: Prayers for Emotional Wholeness by Stormie Omartian and one of the first prayers I turn to was on page 158. A sentence jumped out at me.

                 You are Lord over my life, and I invite You to be Lord over my thoughts as well.
                 Replace the negative with positive, Christ affirming thoughts.
Every thought. Do it as an exercise. Repeat scripture, replacing a negative thought. Repeat positive affirming thoughts, Christian, or secular. But do it, and after 28 days it becomes a habit. You are more positive and your esteem and mental health come up higher than before.

No comments:

Post a Comment