Negative Thoughts and How to Stop ThemNegative Thoughts and How to Stop Them
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Coach Blu Robinson talks about how negative thoughts can derail recovery and shares practical tools to question them, shrink them, and replace them with more helpful habits. The focus stays on simple questions, movement, kindness, and gratitude as everyday ways to shift a pessimistic mindset.
31:41•6 Jun 2022
Stopping the Spiral: Coach Blu on Negative Thoughts in Recovery
Episode Overview
- Notice when negative thinking becomes your default and ask, "What's one good thing about this situation?" to begin shifting your perspective.
- Remind yourself that most people are busy with their own lives and are not constantly judging you, which reduces unnecessary self‑criticism.
- Question your thoughts, especially when tired or stressed, and decide whether you should take yourself seriously in that moment or give yourself a pause.
- Avoid turning small problems into huge crises by zooming out and asking if the issue will still matter in weeks, months, or years.
- Use movement, simple acts of kindness, and gratitude for everyday basics to replace negative thoughts with more constructive, hopeful ones.
“You are, again, the captain of your own ship.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This episode of Addict II Athlete zooms in on one enemy most people in recovery know too well: negative thinking. Coach Blu Robinson, a mental health therapist and addiction counsellor, talks directly to "athletes" in recovery about how pessimistic thoughts can quietly become the default setting and seriously trip up progress.
He shares questions you can ask yourself such as, "What's one good thing about this situation?" and reminds people, "You are, again, the captain of your own ship." You'll hear concrete tools for stopping negative thoughts before they snowball: looking for even one small positive, remembering that "people don't care that much about what you do or say," questioning whether you should "take yourself seriously" when you're tired and stressed, and zooming out to ask if today's crisis will really matter in a year.
He explains how a single comment or bad day can spiral into "your own personal rain cloud" and why that mindset is so dangerous for someone trying to stay clean. The tone is relaxed, funny in places, but very practical. Coach Blu breaks things down into simple, real‑life examples—like being broke, fearing what others think, or turning tiny problems into emotional Mount Everest. For those in addiction recovery, this episode leans heavily on movement and service as medicine.
Coach Blu talks about using exercise to swap out the old dopamine hit from substances, and turning your focus outward by doing something kind for someone else. Gratitude gets a big mention too—things as basic as food in the fridge and a roof overhead. Designed for people in recovery and their families, the style is non‑judgmental, sporty, and team‑focused. If your thoughts easily slide into "the suck," this conversation offers down‑to‑earth ways to step back into hope.
What small shift could you try the next time your mind goes on a negative rampage?
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