(Courtesy of CNBC / by Jade Scipioni / Bloomberg | Getty Images)

During the Covid-19 pandemic, brain doctor Daniel Amen says “mental hygiene” is just as important as washing your hands.

As a psychiatrist and brain disorder specialist for more than 30 years, Amen says being on lockdown and dealing with the spread of coronavirus can lead to “unhealthy thinking patterns,” which could have detrimental long-term effects.

So Amen, the author of books including “Change Your Brain Change Your Life,” says the absolute worst thing people can do during this time is “to believe every stupid thing they think.”

“We call it killing ‘ANTs,’” Amen tells CNBC Make It.

ANTs are “automatic negative thoughts” that come into your mind and try to ruin your day and throw you off balance, Amen says.

″[I]f you watch the news too much, you’re loaded with an automatic negative file,” he says.

To combat such thinking, Amen created some daily, simple techniques to help decrease negative thought patterns and improve brain health.

For full article, please click here