Negative thoughts are natural. We all have them from time to time. But when they start to take over your life, you know that it's time to do something about them and stop thinking negative thoughts so often.

1. Catch your negative thoughts early

You probably know when you start to think something negative - you'll know the early warning signs. Nip that thought in the bud! Don't give it chance to breed and fester in your mind.

2. Mind your language

I don't mean the kind of language that you wouldn't hear on television before the watershed. Certain words are just automatically negative. "I could never do that", "There's no way..." and so on. You're thinking those words so swap them out for something more positive whenever you get the chance.

3. Turn off the news

News is almost always negative. Scandal and disaster sell. Happy stories don't get the ratings. Which means that the news is probably the most regular thing you're exposed to on a regular basis. Switch it off or change channel. And don't read the paper either, except maybe for the sports pages.

4. Wear a rubber band on your wrist

And flick it every time you catch yourself having negative thoughts. We react to pain, even small amounts like this. Over time, your body will start to associate negative thinking with pain and will begin to change how you phrase things in your mind.

5. Don't panic when you're not perfect

You likely won't be able to stop thinking negatively all the time. That's fine. Just aim to stop as much as possible - you'll find the quantity of positive thoughts increasing over time as a result of the other tips.