Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs): How to Stop Toxic Thinking and Rewire Your Brain
Have you ever had an ant infestation in your house? A couple of ants are no big deal, but when there are hundreds or even thousands of them swarming in your kitchen, it can ruin your day. The same goes for ANTs in your mind.
Automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) make you feel mad, sad, worried, nervous, lonely, or out of control. Examples of ANTs include thoughts like:
- “My wife just gave me a look. I don’t think she loves me anymore.”
- “I’ll be happy when I lose 20 pounds.”
- “Everybody in that political party is awful.”
We all have a few ANTs from time to time. That’s normal. However, if you have an infestation of these pesky thoughts inside your head, it could be a sign of mental health problems. ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) can rob you of peace, fuel anxiety, and lead to depression.
Too many automatic negative thoughts means it’s time to do something about your mental hygiene. You need to disinfect your thoughts and kill the ANTs to overcome anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), trauma, and grief.
Disinfect your thoughts and kill the ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) to overcome anxiety, depression, trauma, and grief.
THE ORIGIN OF ANTS: DR. AMEN’S PERSONAL DISCOVERY
Psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen, the founder of Amen Clinics, coined the term ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) to describe how negativity can infest your brain. The idea for the ANTs Dr. Amen describes came after a hard day at work when he had seen four suicidal patients, two teenagers who ran away from home, and two couples who hated their spouses.
When he went home that evening, he was met with an ant infestation in the kitchen. Thousands of the tiny insects were crawling all over. As he cleaned them up, it made him think that his patients were also infested with ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) that were driving their feelings of depression, hopelessness, helplessness, and irritability.
He realized that if he could teach his patients to eliminate the ANTs, it would help them feel happier, have less anxiety, and be better able to get along with others.
HOW YOUR THOUGHTS AFFECT YOUR BRAIN CHEMISTRY
Every thought you have triggers the release of neurochemicals, which are involved in rewiring your brain.
Negative thoughts cause your brain to immediately release chemicals that affect every cell in your body, making you feel bad. The opposite is also true—positive, happy, hopeful thoughts release chemicals that make you feel good.
Your thought patterns can also have long-term effects. Repetitive toxic thinking may promote the buildup of the harmful deposits seen in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. It may also increase the risk of dementia, according to a 2020 brain-imaging study in the Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
For decades, experts have known that negative thinking is also tightly linked to other mental health disorders, such as clinical depression. In fact, research shows that the reciprocal connection between ruminating thoughts and depression leads to a vicious cycle that prolongs and intensifies symptoms of depression.
ANTs also fuel anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), grief, and other mental health issues. Being plagued by worrisome thoughts can make you feel like a negative person and makes it harder to overcome these problems.
THE MOST COMMON ANTS THAT SABOTAGE MENTAL HEALTH
Learn to spot the different species of ANTs that create emotional distress and fuel negativity. Here are some of the most common negative thought patterns seen among the tens of thousands of patients at Amen Clinics.
MEET YOUR ANTEATER: THE TOOL TO RECLAIM CONTROL OVER YOUR THOUGHTS
To stop negative thinking, you need to develop an internal ANTeater. This is critical for your mental health and well-being. Here’s why.
Just because you have a thought has nothing to do with whether it is true. Thoughts lie. They lie a lot, and it is your uninvestigated or unquestioned thoughts that steal your happiness.
If you do not question or correct your erroneous thoughts, you believe them, and you act as if they are 100% true. Allowing yourself to believe every thought you have is the prescription for anxiety disorders, depression, relationship problems, and prolonged grief.
You can learn to eliminate negative thought patterns and replace them with more helpful thoughts that give you a more accurate, fair assessment of any situation. This skill alone can completely change your life if you embrace and practice it.
Reducing repetitive negative thinking can improve symptoms of anxiety and depression, according to a 2023 study in Psychological Medicine.
Take note, however, that positive thinking is not the answer. It kills way too many people, because they don’t think about the consequences of their actions.
Some anxiety is absolutely critical to good health and success. Pie-in-the-sky thinking and low levels of anxiety are associated with underestimating risks, a lackadaisical attitude toward your health, and making bad decisions.
The best approach is to adopt accurate, honest thinking. To do so, you need to learn to kill the ANTs.
STEP-BY-STEP: HOW TO KILL THE ANTS
The ANT-killing process used at Amen Clinics is based on the work of two mentors:
- Aaron Beck, a psychiatrist who pioneered a school of psychotherapy called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which is an effective treatment for anxiety disorders, depression, relationship problems, and even obesity
- Byron Katie, a teacher and author who developed the five questions to challenge thoughts
Related: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? What Is It and Who Can Benefit?
If you want to learn how to challenge negative thoughts, follow these steps:
How to Kill the ANTs
Whenever you feel sad, mad, nervous, or out of control, follow these proven steps used at Amen Clinics to challenge negative thoughts and improve mental health.
- Is it true?
- Is it absolutely true with 100% certainty?
- How do I feel when I believe this thought?
- How would I feel if I couldn’t have this thought?
- Turn the thought around. Is the opposite just as true—or truer?
Killing the ANTs takes practice. You can’t just do it once and think you’ve mastered your thinking patterns. When you make it a daily practice to question your thoughts, you will feel freer, less anxious and depressed, and less trapped in past hurts or losses.
THE SCIENCE: ANTEATER TRAINING VS. MEDICATION
If you’re looking for antidepressant alternatives, look no further than killing the ANTs. A 50-year retrospective study comparing the impact of cognitive behavioral therapy to antidepressant medication found that CBT is, on average, as effective as antidepressants.
This means that learning how to challenge negative thoughts is just as beneficial as medication for treating depression and anxiety. And as an added bonus, it doesn’t come with any of the common side effects of antidepressants, such as sexual dysfunction, weight gain, and sleep disturbances.
WHY THIS PRACTICE CHANGES EVERYTHING
Eliminating ANTs reduces overwhelm, lifts mood, strengthens relationships, and creates lasting emotional resilience. It’s one of the keys to rewiring the brain for greater positivity and happiness.
FAQ
At Amen Clinics, we define ANTs as automatic negative thoughts (ANTs), those unhelpful, distorted messages your brain sends that fuel anxiety, depression, and emotional pain. These thoughts often happen without your awareness, but with the right tools, you can identify, challenge, and replace them.
The first step is awareness. At Amen Clinics, we teach patients to spot their ANTs, name them (like mind reading or fortune telling), and use logic to “talk back.” This process is part of what we call ANTeater Training a cognitive strategy that helps rewire the brain toward healthier patterns over time.
In many cases, yes. Research shows that learning to identify and challenge negative thought patterns can be just as effective as antidepressants for some people without the side effects. That’s why we include cognitive strategies like ANTeater Training as part of our integrative treatment plans, guided by brain SPECT imaging and your individual needs.
Depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we provide personalized, science-backed treatment plans designed to target the root causes of your symptoms. Our 360-approach includes brain SPECT imaging, clinical evaluations, innovative therapeutic techniques, medications (when necessary), and holistic lifestyle recommendations to promote the health of your brain, body, and mind. Speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here.
Amen Clinics
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