2. Definition of negative thoughts There are various definitions of negative thoughts; the following is one such definition. Negative thoughts are cognitions about the self, others, or the world in general that are characterised by negative perceptions, expectations, and attributions and are associated with unpleasant emotions and adverse behavioural, physiological, and health outcomes (Hawkley, 2013). The following is a Saint’s perspective on negative thinking : Negative thoughts tend to adversely affect the mind pervasively. There is no joy in life unless the mind is healthy. In other words, negative thinking takes away the joy of life. It makes the mind feeble, and this results in the end of optimism in life, thus making one’s life unhappy and purposeless.’ – Her Holiness (Mrs) Anjali Gadgil 3. Types of negative thoughts Not all negative thoughts have a strong impact on us as we may not believe in them. They can be fleeting in nature, that is they come momentarily into our stream of consciousness and pass on. However, for some other types of negative thoughts, our mind can drift into different repetitive and negative thought patterns depending on our personalities. This often leads to skewed perceptions of reality. Cognitive behavioural therapists would term it as – Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs). Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANT) are thoughts that are negative and random in nature about one’s self. Dr David Burns, a leading cognitive behavioural therapist, has identified some very common negative thought patterns, which are listed below (Burns, 1999).