Challenging our own negative thoughts is the most helpful tool for day-to-day mental health, says British psychologist Dr Julie Smith.
To help more people understand and practice this ability – "the main tool therapy uses" – Dr Smith started making short videos for social media.
Two years on, she has over 4 million TikTok followers and a new book Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? Everyday Tools for Life's Ups and Downs.
Dr Julie Smith holds a copy of her book 'Why has nobody told me this before?' Photo: doctorjuliesmith.com
Listen to the full interview
Dr Smith tells Kathryn Ryan she wasn't sure how her videos would be received in amongst the "dancing and comedy" on the social media platform TikTok.
"I thought gosh, either I'm going to be trolled out of there or just completely ignored. It really surprised me that the opposite happened.'
When thousands of young people started watching the videos – and often sending direct messages, too – she realised she couldn't stop.
"We're reaching people with real problems. And it's impacting them enough that they're bothering to find out my email, get in touch and tell me their story."
In Dr Smith's videos, which are filmed after her three kids are in bed, she coaches people in the practice of metacognition - thinking about and challenging their own thoughts.
A single negative thought can have complete power over how you feel and behave - and contribute to a cycle of negative thinking that feels very persuasive.
"We take on each thought as if it's factual and it's the best version of our reality right now when actually it's one possible perspective."
The trick is to notice when you've had a thought that doesn't make you feel good, then try to see it as just one perspective your mind has presented.
"As soon as you see that [[the thought is just] a possibility rather than the only possible version of reality you kind of take some of the power out of it. And you get to choose to consider other options."
In therapy sessions, people reflect on earlier times their negative thoughts got out of hand, but with practice, you can build up enough awareness to catch and label negative bias in real time.
"If you can notice a biased thought when it arrives then you can see it for what it is, step back from it … just by noticing the bias and labelling it that way, you've already taken some of the power out of it. Because then you know you're free to consider other perspectives as well… It's a gradual change of building that awareness and looking for alternatives."
Some of Dr Julie Smith's popular videos: