Negative thoughts are something that we’ll all face at some point. They may be caused by a sudden incident, or just occur for no specific reason. This is when we need to know how to stop negative thoughts from entering your mind Something bad that has happened can cause you negative thoughts, or sometimes you’re just overthinking.
I’ve faced a lot of negative thoughts in my life. To be honest, they can be quite annoying. In the worst-case scenario, they can completely drain you into a negative spiral, where it’s hard to get out. Today, I’d like to share how to deal with negative thoughts.
Understanding How the Human Mind Works
When I say “Don’t think about a red coffee mug”, what are you thinking about? Probably a red coffee mug. This is how the human mind works. When you’re aware that you shouldn’t think about something, it will pop into your mind.
You may also have negative thoughts that cause you anxiety. These thoughts are something that you feel like interacting with. It may feel like a good idea to block them, convince yourself that they don’t matter, or anything like that.
These scenarios can lead to a negative thought loop. When a nasty thought arises, you may feel an urge to either block it or neutralize it with different rituals and mantras. However, after a slight moment of relief, they’ll come back stronger and worse.
This causes you to repeat the same actions, and eventually end up in a nasty loop, seriously stuck inside your head. This can make you super anxious, distant, and it may feel like you’ll have to arrange your mental desk before you can continue your normal life. Luckily, getting out of your head can be easy if you focus on the right things.
How to Stop Negative Thoughts from Entering Your Mind
If you’ve been in that kind of loop, you know that it’s a terrible place to be in. However, there’s a simple way to stop that loop. If you want to stop negative thoughts from entering your mind, you must let go. Don’t try to block, neutralize, or amplify your thoughts. After all, they’re just thoughts.
Imagine that your thoughts are like flowing water. If you try to stop it, it will gain pressure and eventually crush you. But if you just let it flow, you don’t have to worry about it and it doesn’t cause any problems.
When negative thoughts pop into your mind, just observe them, and let them flow like water. This is how they’ll go away quickly. Above all, realize that they’re just thoughts, and don’t determine reality. They may be painful for a while, but they’ll go away. No matter how much you feel like blocking or neutralizing them, don’t.
Separating Your Thoughts from Reality
Your thoughts and reality are two different things. I know those nasty thoughts may feel scary, but they’re not real.
If there’s a certain concern you shouldn’t worry about, just let it flow through your mind, when it occurs. After all, your emotional mind is just playing tricks. You may feel tempted to go through it but don’t. It will only make it worse.
Sometimes you may have horrible or inappropriate thoughts that are pushing themselves into your mind. When these occur, do the same. Let them flow like water. They’re only thoughts and don’t affect reality. The fact that they make you uncomfortable means that you’d never do them in real life.
In a nutshell, negative thoughts are something that we’ll all face sometimes. When they occur, let them flow like water. Don’t block, neutralize, or amplify them. This is how they’ll eventually go away.
Negative Thoughts and Meditation
Meditating is an excellent way to stop negative thoughts from entering your mind. There are many meditations for different purposes, but here’s the simplest one:
- Pick a quiet location where you’re not disturbed
- Sit or lay down. Set a timer for 5-20 minutes.
- Close your eyes and breathe deep until the timer alarms.
- During this time, let your thoughts flow like water, without blocking or amplifying them.
Meditation is especially useful if negative thoughts occur often. When you start meditating, you’ll notice different thought patterns and certain topics that appear frequently.
When you let these thoughts flow, again and again, your mind learns to accept repressed emotions and useless concerns. Eventually, it becomes immune to thoughts that used to make you uncomfortable.
Meditating may seem something that only Asian monks do, but that couldn’t be further away from the truth. Meditation has tons of health benefits. It makes you resilient, calm and confident, happier, and mentally stable.
On top of that, meditating helps you to stop negative thoughts from entering your mind.
Dealing with negative thoughts is a skill that anyone can benefit from. Luckily, it’s fairly easy if you do the right things. A simple way to deal with negative thoughts is to let them flow like water and make yourself immune to them by meditating.
Some situations can make you more vulnerable to negative thoughts. Also, some people tend to overthink more than others. If you consider negative thoughts and anxiety a serious problem, it may be a good idea to seek professional help. Or, talking to a friend can also help.
With this said, I hope you find this article valuable. Remember thoughts are just thought. They don’t determine reality.
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Veikko Arvonen
Veikko is a blogger with a burning passion for self-development. He's the author of his blog Maxed Out 20s, where he shares how you can become more confident, respected, attractive, and happier. You can also contact him there. Visit his blog to learn more and get your free ebook!
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