I have come to realize that it is much better to acknowledge the negative or angry thoughts as they arrive, that doesn't mean just noticing their presence, when they approach, actually talk to your mind and announce their arrival, and then identify the reasons behind them. As your mind comes to realize how trivial and meaningless these thoughts are, it will eventually stop creating them in the first place. It takes alot of time and effort to do this, but the long term results will be well worth it.
What I have come to realize is even when the mind doesn't stop creating them because the mind is a very tricky fellow
those thoughts become little "smoozes". So I invite them in, "ahhhhhh howdy my little friend anger, or fear, or judgment howya been?" Awareness, Allowness, let go-ness.....and it's fun too!
There seems to me these little fellows act from wanting something or not wanting something. It appears to me they either want love and approval, want control, want oneness or separation or want security. We all have our dragons, and as the mythology suggests are we going to slay our dragons.
Smiles