5 Ways To Stay Away From Negative Thoughts

Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results.

Willie Nelson

Most of us spend a lot of time inside our own mind —worrying about the future, replaying events in the past, and generally focusing on the parts of life that leave us dissatisfied. While common, negative or unwanted thoughts can preventyou from enjoying experiences, distract you from focusing on what's important, and drain your energy. They can also make you feel anxious and depressed.

If you feel trapped by negative thinking, here are five effective ways to deal with negative thoughts:

1-Question the truth of your thoughts-

Humans are meaning making machines, so it’s useful to question your interpretation of events and see if you’re creating stories which may not necessarily be true.

Next time something happens and you start jumping to conclusions, pause and ask yourself: Is this really true? Can I know for sure? Could I be reading meaning into the situation which isn’t really there? Could I see things differently?

2-Switch your focus

You can’t really focus on a negative thought and a positive thought or memory at the same time, so switch your focus to something more helpful or uplifting.

Go on a mental rampage of appreciation for all of the goodness in your life, like your loved ones, favorite activities, the beauty of nature, meal times, holidays or whatever it is that instantly makes you feel good.

3-Focus on your strengths

It's human nature to dwell on the negative and overlook the positive. The more you can practice focusing on your strengths and not dwelling on mistakes you've made, the easier it will be to feel positive about yourself and the direction your life is taking. If you find yourself thinking harsh thoughts about your personality or actions, take a moment to stop and think about something you like about yourself.

4- Identify the motivation behind your negative thoughts

Remember that sometimes your negative thoughts have a purpose. Sometimes your mind is just trying to protect you from getting into trouble or having something bad happen. That does not mean that these thoughts won’t still bother you. It just means that you will have to take a different approach to address these types of thoughts. One way that you can deal with negative thoughts that are a result of your mind trying to protect you is to thank your mind out loud.

5-Determine what type of negative thoughts you are having

Reconsider the most common types of negative thoughts to help you determine what category your thoughts fall into. Identify the type(s) of thoughts that you are having and label them as such in your thought record. For example, if you often think to yourself “I am stupid,” then you might label this thought as “Black and White Thinking” because you are ignoring things that you do well.

Note- The pictures used in the article are google images.