Ants are underrated. If you were to ask people what their favourite animal is, you would receive a variety of answers ranging from pets, wild animals, and marine life. In fact, the most googled animal (in general terms) is the dolphin. Insects are generally not considered to be as attractive. People fear bugs. Creepy crawlies. Beasties. Critters. And yet, the tiny ant is one of the world's strongest creatures relative to its size. Ants can carry up to 50 times their body weight. They are individually strong and strong as a team, working together to move bigger objects. We could learn a lot from ants. But this article is about a different type of ANT.

Dr. Daniel Amen coined this term in the early 1990s after a particularly hard day counseling depressed patients. He arrived home feeling drained and was met by an infestation of thousands of ants in his kitchen. Could the day get any worse? That's when the acronym ANTs came to him:

Automatic

Negative

Thoughts

He had unwanted ants crawling all over his house, and his patients had unwanted ANTs crawling all over their minds. He came to realise that when Automatic Negative Thoughts take hold, they multiply and cause depression, anxiety, and general negativity.

What exactly are Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs)?

In general terms, a negative thought is one that is accompanied by a feeling of sadness, hopelessness, anger, or judgment. Our brains are incredibly clever, although we may not always feel that way! Whenever we think in a certain way, our brains release accompanying chemicals: cortisol (the stress hormone) if we think negatively or serotonin if a thought is positive. The chemicals our brains release can have a physical impact. A cortisol surge will elevate a person's heart rate and blood pressure and induce a feeling of anxiety or panic. The long-term effects of cortisol can include weight gain, high blood pressure, acne and other skin issues, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, and continual mood swings. Excessive cortisol can literally weaken your mind and body.

Conversely, serotonin is a happy hormone and is responsible for good mood, digestion, bone health, and sexual function, to name a few welcome benefits. With this in mind, the decision should be easy — which thoughts do we want to prosper? I'm sure nobody wants the ANTs to breed.

Dr Amen refers to a few species of ANTs:

Fortune Telling — predicting the worst.

Mind Reading — believing you know what other people are thinking.

Guilt Beatings — using words like "should".

Blame — blaming someone else for your problems.

Labelling — calling yourself or someone else a name.

Have you experienced any of these? I have. I used to think I was a great mind reader. I always knew what others were thinking. I also shoulded all over myself, as Tony Robbins would say. Did I feel good with all that cortisol coursing through me? Absolutely not. However, it's important to say that not all negative thoughts are irrelevant. For example, if your mind has assessed something as risky, it's a good idea to listen. You are responsible for your own health and safety, and thinking positively would not serve you well when faced with danger. Thankfully, these kinds of scenarios are in the minority. Be wary of your inner critic taking over and commenting on every little thing. This interference can impact your mental function, making everything difficult, from daily tasks to relationships.

"if you want to eradicate depression, anxiety, and negativity from your life, you need to work on disciplining your mind to get rid of the ANTs and developing an ANTeater to patrol the streets of your mind." — Amen Clinics

How do we nurture our ANTeater?

There are a few ways.

1 — Move your body

If you're looking for an immediate way to get out of your mind and release the tension in your body — move! I'm an advocate for running. Running regularly keeps my mood balanced. It's like meditation and medication for me. However, not everyone likes to lace up. Find something physical you enjoy, whether it's walking, working out, yoga, or dancing. When your body is moving and creating energy, you'll feel those endorphins pumping around you. It's hard to live in your head when your body is in motion. You can't help but feel good when you experience exercise, whether it's from the movement or the fresh air.

2 — The brain dump (with a difference)

If you read my article How To Banish Stress With A Pen, you will already know I'm an advocate for taking a brain dump. Spilling your thoughts onto the page can be cathartic. This method takes into account the brain dump but within the recommendations set out by Amen Clinics. Follow these steps:

1. Grab a pen/pencil and some paper (it will be more effective than using a screen)

2. Similar to brain dumping, spew out all the negative thoughts your brain is screaming at you. However, take a brief pause to write them from a second-person point of view. For example, "You're not good enough," or, "You'll never do it."

3. It will be hard and may seem pointless to put those thoughts back into your brain, but take a moment to read what you've written.

4. Take a fresh piece of paper and begin to answer the second person critic, as yourself. For example, "I am good enough," and "I can do it. I can do anything I set my mind to." Start listing all the reasons why you can do whatever you set your mind to.

5. Don't stop until you have answered all the critical thoughts.

6. When you've finished, review both pieces of paper. Notice the emotion in your responses. Score through any of the negative statements, if you need to, for further validation.

7. How do you feel now? Pretty good, I'd bet! Feel that boost of positivity and confidence from your own positive words. That came from you. You have the power within you. You can make yourself feel bad; you can also elevate yourself just by using a pen and the power of your own thoughts.

2 — Creative Visualisation

I first heard of ANTs via Jim Kwik on a podcast. Jim has this tip for banishing ANTs. You may notice it's very similar to the brain dump. However, this might be a better option for anyone more comfortable with pictures than words:

Sometimes, words on a page aren't enough, and using your imagination can help. Countering fear and doubt with logic is one strategy, but you can also fight it by pointing out how ridiculous that inner critic is being. This helps externalize the voices in your head by giving them a visual or verbal identity. By turning that voice into a different person with exaggerated attributes it can help reduce the fear by taking away the power that voice holds.

1. This one can be done in a variety of ways. You can draw cartoon characters or stick figures. If you're not artistically inclined, you can simply visualize your inner critic in your mind.

2. Now, give your critic embellished traits. Draw in wild, green hair or spaghetti coming out of their nose. Imagine that they have a high-pitched squeaky voice like they just sucked helium out of a balloon – the more outlandish, the better.

3. Write down your negative thoughts or imagine they're being spoken by your critic. Hear their cartoon voice in your head. Does the spaghetti flop around as they're talking? Are dogs howling at their high-pitched voice?

4. If that person was standing in front of you, would you take their words seriously? Odds are, you wouldn't. So why would you take their word now?

5. You can take this exercise one step further by imagining or drawing someone you admire and respect. This can be a trusted friend, a mentor, or a teacher.

6. Imagine how they would respond to this person. What would they say to their criticisms? Write those down or imagine their response.

7. In the moment of negative self-talk, we often feel alone and insecure. Remembering our friends and imagining them defending us is a powerful thought experiment that can bring our sense of security and confidence back.

Excerpt taken from this blog post.

Are you feeling empowered?

Don't let the infestation take hold. You have the tools within you to eliminate those ANTs and stop them from taking over your head. The next time even a solitary ANT approaches your mind, it will be so inhospitable that he won't invite his friends. If you have an infestation right now, I hope the steps above help. Also, if anyone has any other tips, I'd love to hear them. I'm sure they will help me and other people too. Feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks for reading!

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Originally published on 30 August 2023.