Andrew Bernstein
The truth is more often than not the negative thoughts play around in my head and no matter how hard I fight they just cling on and will not go away. Sometimes the more I try to get rid of a thought the firmer it digs itself into my mind. Does that happen to you too?
I know in all wisdom that if I keep the negative thinking up my thoughts will hijack my current state of circumstances. So what do we do so to overcome the negative?
1st practice – Become aware of your thoughts
Start paying attention to your thoughts, rather than thinking everything you think is to be believed in. Become aware of how ridiculous really most of our thoughts are, and how much grief they bring because we are thinking about a moment that has not arrived yet. At times like this what I do is just acknowledge the ridiculous or negative thoughts that pop into my head and then release them. A mindfulness practice that takes a little awareness but brings great results.
2nd practice – Divert your Mind
In the parallel what I do is create a diversion in my mind. For instance, whenever I am faced with a negative thought or ‘not’s’ my word for many negative thoughts I consciously reach for my iPod turn on the music and hum along. This creates a diversion from the negative. Diversions are great because it allows the mind to act later instead of reacting at the moment.
Stop Overthinking and Start Living
3rd practice – Insulate from the Negative
Surround and insulate yourself from the negative (if it becomes overbearing) with positive people and positive thoughts. Sometimes the negative thoughts flood our mind, become aware of the situation, each and every time there is a negative thought and mentally replace it with a positive thought on the same subject in its place.
For instance, you have a negative thought on a meeting with your boss. Replace it with positive thoughts on the meeting. For instance think and visualise that he is happy to meet you and that the meeting is a breeze. Trust me it will be smooth sailing from thereon. After all, you have the ‘breeze’ in your favour. Always be grateful for all things and people big and small in your life. Let the positive energy flow through you. It will reduce negative thinking in you.
Short Motivational Buddhist Story
How to Speak Truth with Mindfulness
4th practice – Make a Gratitude List
Start listing out what you’re thankful for. Many a time we forget that there are gazillion things in our life that are going right for us and tend to focus on the one thing that is going wrong. This makes us start nurturing negative thoughts. It’s time to stand back and count your blessings. You need to re-train and focus your mind on all the good happening around you instead of the bad. Don’t take anything for granted, at times the good is right in front of us and we fail to see it.
The moment you start writing down things you are grateful for – you start looking out for more reasons to get the positive thoughts. It becomes your operating system. You want to write more and more about the positive aspects of your life. And the more you write and think – the more positivity you attract.
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Bottom Line
The brain is rewireable. It just has to be reminded of the positive time and again until it becomes a habit. Soon you will automatically stop thinking negative thoughts. Look beyond the imperfection focus on the positive and positive it will be.
Related Articles:
Tips on How to Practice Mindfulness
The Psychology of Honesty and Dishonesty
How to Treat Dengue Fever Naturally
Advise for Parents of University Students Leaving Home
7 Ways to Overcome Unemployment Effectively
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