Challenge all of your negative thoughts. Just because you may have spent most of your life thinking negatively, that doesn't make this behavior right or healthy. Initially, it can feel very confronting to keep reminding yourself that the negative thoughts deserve challenging when they distress or disrupt you. Here are some great ways to start challenging those negative thoughts: •Begin by asking simple questions when the automatic negative thoughts pop up, particularly questions like, "Did I just make that up because it sounded reasonable but I lacked the facts?" or "How does it help me to think negatively like this?" and "Is this situation as bad as I'm making it out to be?"