Worry

Managing Automatic Negative Thoughts

by John Nolan
11th April 2025

Automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) are spontaneous, often negative and distorted thoughts that can significantly impact well-being. Experiencing frequent ANTs can lead to mental exhaustion, overthinking, and negative self-perception, potentially linked to overactivity in brain regions like the anterior cingulate cortex and the amygdala, and the development of negative thought habits. However, various self-help strategies, including increasing awareness, challenging and reframing thoughts, practising thought defusion, engaging in positive self-talk, focusing on solutions, and acceptance, can help individuals to manage and reduce the impact of these unwanted thoughts.

The Underlying Mechanisms of Anxiety

by John Nolan
3rd April 2025

Anxiety arises and persists through a combination of the body’s stress response, specific brain mechanisms involving threat detection and information processing, neurochemical influences, and the impact of learned psychological patterns like worry, avoidance, and negative thinking. The brain’s neuroplasticity allows anxiety responses to become entrenched habits, while psychological factors such as fear of anxiety and non-acceptance further perpetuate the cycle.

Addressing Nervousness: Insights from Your Sources

by John Nolan
23rd March 2025

Nervousness involves a complex interplay of mental and brain processes. Mentally, negative self-talk, cognitive biases, overthinking, unhelpful interpretations, and rigid thinking contribute significantly. Neural pathways involving the cortex and amygdala play key roles in initiating and maintaining the physiological and cognitive aspects of nervousness. Reducing the impact of these thought patterns involves increasing self-awareness, challenging and reframing negative thoughts, using more flexible language, focusing on the present, altering the narrative around nervousness, practicing self-compassion, engaging in valued activities, and managing sensory input.

The role of neuropathically play in overcoming anxiety22nd April 2025
Neuroplasticity plays a fundamental role in overcoming anxiety. It refers to the brain’s remarkable ability to change its structure and function throughout life by forming new neural connections. This means that the neural pathways underlying anxious thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are not fixed and can be… Read More »The role of neuropathically play in overcoming anxiety
An outline of the brain’s dual pathways to generating anxiety.22nd April 2025
The brain has two main pathways that can lead to the generation of anxiety. These pathways, although distinct, can also work together. The cortex pathway begins with the sense organs and travels through the thalamus to the cerebral cortex, the thinking part of the brain. The… Read More »An outline of the brain’s dual pathways to generating anxiety.
How might avoidance perpetuate anxiety symptoms?21st April 2025
Avoidance can perpetuate anxiety symptoms in several ways. Firstly, avoidance is negatively reinforced because it leads to a temporary reduction in anxiety. When you avoid a situation, person, or thought that triggers anxiety, the immediate feeling of relief reinforces the avoidance behaviour, making it more likely… Read More »How might avoidance perpetuate anxiety symptoms?
Trauma’s Contribution To Depression And The Role Of Havening20th April 2025
For many individuals with long-term depression, unresolved trauma can play a significant role by creating entrenched negative patterns. Addressing these past traumas and reducing their emotional impact can free individuals to build new habits and ways of being that support a return to a normal life. The Havening technique is a powerful tool that uses touch and distraction to depotentiate the emotional content of traumatic memories at a neurological level, allowing these memories to be recalled without the same level of distress. This can be a crucial step in breaking free from the past and moving towards a more positive future.
The Benefits Of Depression Coaching20th April 2025
Depression coaching offers a solution-focused and action-oriented approach to overcoming low mood. By prioritising future goals, identifying existing strengths, and implementing practical techniques derived from methodologies like SFBT and NLP, it can help individuals to break free from negative thought patterns and build a more positive and fulfilling life. This approach directly addresses neurological changes associated with depression by stimulating the frontal lobe, rewiring negative pathways, increasing positive emotion, shifting focus towards solutions, and fostering a sense of control.