7 Powerful Techniques To Overcome Negative Thinking
“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.” ― Wilfred Arlan Peterson
Why is overcoming negative thinking essential to your success? Did you know that your thoughts influence your life? Negative thoughts create a negative inner attitude. This attitude can only lead to negative results. Also, when you give your attention to these intrusive thoughts, it prevents you from thinking clearly. Think of attention as the steering wheel of a car, would you direct it towards an obstacle? The same is true for your attention.
Point it in the direction you want to go. Granted, it’s not as easy to direct your attention as it is to turn a steering wheel. But it is perfectly possible to change your thinking. You will learn why trying to remove negative thoughts from your mind doesn’t work and that there is a much more effective solution.
You will also discover 7 simple techniques to help you manage your negative thoughts more easily until you get rid of them and have a more positive state of mind.
The Thoughts Create Your Reality
“Thoughts lead to emotions, emotions lead to actions and actions lead to results.” — T. Harv Eker
Your thoughts produce emotions in you, and these emotions in turn influence, most often unconsciously, the way you act. Negative thoughts cause you to experience unpleasant emotions, leading to anxiety and even depression. This translates into a lack of motivation, low self-confidence and a feeling of being subjected to events.
Paying attention to and believing these negative thoughts is giving your brain the wrong direction. By doing so you are telling it where to go, which is everything you don’t want, isn’t it? Overcoming negative thoughts is necessary if you want to have a more successful and fulfilling life. It’s time to change your strategy and finally take control of your life.
You Are Not Your Negative Thinking
“As I change my thoughts, the world around me changes.” — Louise L. Hay
Perhaps you think that your negative thoughts reflect reality and that they are an integral part of your personality? This is not the case, they are simply thoughts and nothing else. They usually arise automatically. They are thoughts that you do not choose and that appear randomly. They are the result of what happens in your environment, what you see, hear and say.
They are also generated by your emotions and the beliefs you have about yourself and others. You have the choice to consider them as simple exaggerations that your mind suggests and that do not deserve your attention.
It is like going to an event and a very unpleasant person comes and sits next to you. They start comparing you to the other guests, then they start doubting you, criticizing you and even talking nonsense. Would you like to stay another minute with her? Your instinct is to get up and leave so you don’t have to listen to her anymore, and most likely you will.
It is exactly the same with negative thoughts. Don’t be a prisoner of your thoughts. Think of it as a brain exercise, the more you practice directing your attention to what is important to you, the more you will develop your “attention muscle” and be able to overcome negative thoughts.
To Overcome Your Negative Thinking, Accept It
As paradoxical as it may seem, to overcome your negative thoughts, it is necessary to accept and tolerate them instead of stopping or masking them. In fact, it is not a question here of sweeping your intrusive thoughts under the carpet, because that does not work. Having negative thoughts is perfectly human, everyone has them.
On the other hand, according to several studies, it has been shown that the more you try to stop having negative thoughts, the greater the probability that they will occupy your mind. In the book La psychologie positive Rébecca Shankland and Sophie Lantheaume talk about this phenomenon in more detail. You can do the test now, try for example not to think about… a giraffe.
What did you think of? The reason is that no matter what you think about, your brain visualizes it. It is precisely your right brain where the subconscious part of your brain resides. The subconscious mind is in charge of memories and emotions. One of its particularities is that it does not understand negation. For example, if you say “don’t think negatively” your subconscious mind understands: think negatively.
A much more effective solution is to let them come and go while you worry about other things. Like filtering out the background noise and focusing your attention on what is important to you. A bit like the ticking of a clock for example. As soon as your attention is focused on something else, you no longer hear it.
Overcoming Negative Thinking Is About Increasing Your Self-Esteem
“You are a living magnet and you attract into your life people and circumstances that are in harmony with your dominant thoughts.” — Brian Tracy
If your self-esteem is low, for example, it is your self-esteem that causes you to believe that your limiting thoughts are real, and therefore you take them as true. Without realizing it, you lock yourself in a circle of negativity in which you focus all your attention. Your state of mind becomes more aggravated and contributes to ruining your life rather than going in a more fulfilling direction. The more you maintain a negative inner dialogue, the more you reinforce the negative image you have of yourself or the world around you. This traps you in a vicious cycle of low self-esteem and pessimism.
You now understand that by focusing on your negative thoughts, you give them importance. They become invasive and you imagine yourself getting rid of them becomes more and more distant. To change this thought pattern, taking care of yourself is an excellent way to direct your attention towards something constructive. Especially since there are only benefits to be gained. Relaxation is particularly ideal for this, and you will discover a technique that is as effective as it is surprising.
Your Brain Can’t Find Solutions If It’s Consumed With Worry
“Taking control of your positive and negative thinking in your state of mind is a choice that will transform your life.” — Zig Ziglar
Replaying negative thoughts all day long is detrimental to your ability to think. If your mind is filled with anxious thoughts, it is very difficult to focus on anything else. You might say that by dwelling on your thoughts you hope to find solutions? This is a mistake because unfortunately, they lead to unpleasant feelings and you will agree that this is the worst way to banish everyday worries.
The brain is an extraordinary tool for solving problems and finding great ideas. All this, thanks to your imagination. However, when your brain is invaded by negative thoughts, it’s as if a fog prevents you from seeing those solutions, those actions necessary to have positive results in your life. This has been scientifically proven by the work of Barbara Fredrickson. Professor of psychology emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Barbara Fredrickson has shown that positive emotions open our field of attention. Thus, you perceive many more things when you are not absorbed by your worries. Overcoming negative thoughts means finally being able to think clearly, identify and seize opportunities that come your way and thus improve your quality of life.
Recommended reading:
7 Simple And Effective Techniques To Overcome Negative Thinking
“You can’t get rid of a habit by throwing it out the window; you have to take it down the stairs step by step” Mark Twain
You will discover 7 techniques to readjust your thought patterns towards neutral and encouraging thoughts. To get satisfying results, free yourself from perfectionism. The goal is not to do everything perfectly right away, but to simply do your best. It takes patience to completely free yourself from the grip of negative thoughts. For your brain to get used to this change, it needs time. Directing your attention takes effort and practice every day.
Hang in there and persevere, this is the key to overcoming negative thoughts. The more you practice, the more naturally your attention will turn to helpful thoughts. You don’t have to follow all 7 techniques to make it work, just test each one and practice the ones you enjoy the most. The effectiveness of these methods lies in the application and regularity of your practice, even if you only give it a few minutes a day.
The first 3 techniques come from the excellent book Self-Esteem by Rhena Branch and Rob Willson, both cognitive behavioral therapists, and Monique Richter, NLP coach. The following are tips that I have tried and that have helped me to get rid of negative thoughts.
1. Focusing technique inspired by CBT
This exercise is inspired by the work of cognitive behavioral therapists led by Adrian Wells. This psychology professor from the University of Manchester has developed a proven technique to train your attention through sounds. You will learn to be less internally focused on ruminations and unpleasant emotions. It is necessary to do this when you are in a favorable mood, i.e. positive or neutral, so that the exercise is easier to practice.
- Sit comfortably and concentrate on a point in front of you
- Capture 5 noises, it can be the sound of traffic, a household appliance, a computer, the sound of birds or your pet for example
- Give your attention to each of the sounds for about 30 seconds in turn. If a thought comes to mind, welcome it and then let it go. Then, redirect your attention to the sound you were listening to
- Now direct your attention to each of the 5 sounds in turn quickly, in any order, making sure you focus on one sound before moving on to the next.
- Now expand your attention and listen to all 5 sounds at the same time
This practical exercise of conscious attention we have just seen allows you to live in the here and now without judgment. By turning your attention outward you will see a marked improvement in your state of mind. Do this exercise for 10 minutes twice a day for more efficiency, count 2 months to feel the positive effects.
2. Cloud technique
Practice this exercise in a comfortable position with your eyes closed. Visualize a beautiful blue sky with a multitude of clouds. These clouds have various shapes and move at great speed. Observe them without trying to control them. Let your mind wander and welcome the thoughts that come to you.
You will now place on each cloud a thought or image that comes to mind. And watch them go away. With this exercise you learn to welcome your thoughts and let them pass through your mind as a cloud passes through the sky.
3. Astronaut exercise
This is a mindfulness exercise. The goal is to rediscover the environment around you as if you were seeing it for the first time. Imagine that you are an astronaut who sets foot for the first time on an unknown land. You discover plants, animals and even a new atmosphere.
Observe your environment intensely as if it were important for you to take note of every detail, down to the smallest element that surrounds you. Negative thoughts will then take less space and magnitude in your mind.
4. Keep yourself busy and you will no longer be occupied by your negative thinking
Practicing an activity keeps your mind busy. It’s simple, if your mind is busy it won’t have time to go to unconstructive thoughts. It will have much better things to do. Be aware of your actions. Do something you love, a passion.
For example, you can redecorate your house or play sports, which promotes the release of dopamine in the body. This will help you to free your mind from negativity and regain energy and motivation to look forward to new possibilities.
5. Do you think…? And why is that?
You certainly feel like your negative thoughts are true, that doesn’t make them true though. They are simply opinions or ideas floating around in your mind that are produced by your past experiences. Step back from your thoughts to deactivate them.
Ask yourself: What benefit do I get from having these thoughts? It probably doesn’t do anything for you except let destructive thoughts eat away at you. As soon as you step back from your thoughts, they will no longer affect your feelings. Indeed, as we have seen, their power comes from the fact that you give them importance.
One solution to overcome negative thoughts is to stay positive. Ask yourself: why do I have this thought? What could have made me think that? Is this really the case? Do I have verifiable evidence or is it just a figment of my imagination?
Look for evidence that contradicts the assumption of your negative thoughts. Take a piece of paper and a pen, draw a line vertically and write down the suggestions you want to get rid of on one side, and on the other side include the new information that contradicts them.
6. Turn off the autopilot in your vocabulary
“You can’t solve a problem with the same way of thinking that created the problem” Albert Einstein
Don’t imagine that you can overcome negative thoughts by keeping your old language reflexes. For example, instead of saying “life is hard” say “life is an adventure”, instead of saying “I can’t” say “I don’t want to” or instead of saying “there are only problems” say “there are only opportunities”.
Using the wrong vocabulary doesn’t help you to overcome negative thoughts, it keeps them alive. If this has become a reflex for you, just imagine how many times you have repeated these suggestions. The more times a piece of information is repeated, the more your brain understands that it is important information.
You are instructing your brain to look for evidence of these statements. Do you want a more peaceful life? Choose your words carefully and you will see positive results on your internal state.
7. Practice visualization
“If we plant thoughts of peace, harmony, health and prosperity, we will reap the harvest; if we sow thoughts of illness, scarcity, conflict and strife, we will reap them. We must remember that our subconscious mind is like the earth; it will grow whatever seeds we plant in the garden of our mind.” — Joseph Murphy
Visualization is an incredible tool, you’ve probably seen this method a thousand times, but I couldn’t end this article without mentioning it because it is so powerful. Why is it so powerful? Simply because the brain does not differentiate between something you experience and something you imagine.
These emotions are processed in the same way by your brain and it believes that you are actually experiencing them. Use your imagination in your favor and visualize yourself in the best possible situation. This will give you energy and motivation to achieve your dreams and I wish you all the best.
