I see automatic negative thoughts as beliefs or impressions we have formed about specific things, which are then triggered by an event, and cause us to make an assumption about a current circumstance.

It has taken me a lot of time journaling and talking to therapists to unravel mine and begin to challenge them. I recommend journaling, drawing and reviewing how you reacted to specific events that day or week as good ways to identify and decipher these thoughts. A therapist will be helpful in deciphering them and finding the specific ways of interpreting events that works for you, so you can replace these self-limiting negative beliefs and expectations.

The worst thing about automatic negative thoughts is that they don't operate in isolation - one will feed into another.