Negative thoughts come once in a while, and we sometimes don’t know what to do with them or how to handle them. We view the world through our mental attitude. If that attitude is predominantly negative, it can impact everything about us, for example, our health, family, career, and more. In this article, we will be discussing some simple techniques on how to overcome negative thoughts. Also, negative thoughts can drain our energy and keep us from being in the present moment.
Here are simple techniques that we can implement to overcome negative thoughts:
Always read positive quotes
Negative thoughts can have a spiraling effect that attracts more negative thoughts, so we should make reading positive quotes a part of us. Reading positive quotes is one of the techniques on how to overcome negative thoughts because it will always divert our attention from them. We can place Post-It notes with positive quotes on our computer, mirror, and fridge door as reminders for us to stay positive.
Furthermore, on reading positive quotes, let’s look at this quote by an unknown author that I saw online:
Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become your character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.
We should channel those thoughts into something constructive
One of the simple techniques that we can follow on how to overcome negative thoughts is channelling the negative thoughts into something constructive. It is very easy for negative thoughts to take over, but a constructive (and fantastic) trick is to identify the pattern of the negative thought and a project that we are excited about.
Then, purposely commit to this: Every time we find ourselves focusing on the negative thoughts, we should refocus our thoughts for five minutes on our exciting project.
We should replace the negativity in your surroundings
What we let into our minds in our everyday life will have a big effect on us. So we should start questioning what we allow in. We should always ask ourselves for the top sources of negativity in our life, as this can be websites, people, podcasts, magazines, music, and so on. Then we should also find how we can spend time with those sources of negativity.
We should spend more time on positive sources and people that are already in our life or that we want to explore and perhaps make a new part of it.
You should remember that no one is perfect and let yourself move forward
One of the tips on how to overcome negative thoughts is by remembering that no one is perfect. As human beings, we need to understand that dwelling on our past or mistakes will only attract more negative thoughts and affect our lives negatively.
It is easy to dwell on your mistakes. It is normal to feel terrible for acting in a particular way because we are human beings, and we all make mistakes. Dwelling or refusing to let go of the mistakes we made will only destroy us.
We shouldn’t let the vague fears drag us down
One common mistake we make when it comes to fears is to become scared or run away from them instead of us to take a closer look. It is natural for us to feel that impulse and also feel like avoiding it but when fears are vague, they become scarier than they actually are.
We need to start asking ourselves questions that will make us feel a little bit secured instead of running away from the fear, for example: what’s the worst that could happen to me in this situation?. When we start to ground a fear like that and begin to look at it, then we would realize that the worst that could happen isn’t really bad.
When we ask ourselves questions like that, it gives us the ability to create a plan that we can come back to even if things don’t go our way. Also, we can also probably start listing and at the same time, taking action on a few things that will reduce the chance of this worst-case scenario happening. By doing this, we gain clarity about the situation and what we can do about it, and so the fear tends to become quite a bit smaller.
We should bring positivity into someone else’s life
This might sound funny, but one of the tips for how to overcome negative thoughts is by bringing positivity into some else’s life. If we get stuck in victim thinking or negative thoughts, then one of the simplest ways to get it out of our head is by focusing outwards and on someone else.
When we start adding positivity into someone else’s life in some way, we will also start to feel better and more optimistic again. These are some of the ways that we can add positivity to other people’s life:
- We should help others: We can help others by giving them good advice that has been really helpful to us. Also, we can help out with moving houses or preparing and planning for the party next weekend.
- We should be kind: We should be kind to others by them genuine compliments.
- We should always be there for others: Listening to others is a great way for us to learn. When we listen to others, we will be able to help them and show that we are always there for them.
We should make a conscious effort to find things to like, love, and appreciate
Instead of us fighting negative thoughts, we should consciously reach for better feeling thoughts. This is a great technique on how to overcome negative thoughts. When we consciously reach for better feeling thoughts, the negative thoughts tend to disappear.
One powerful way to reach for better feeling thoughts is to speak (out loud if we can) to what we like, love, and appreciate.
Try Meditation and Movement
We can’t escape negative thoughts without physically disrupting them. To get something out of our heads, we need to get into our bodies. A few minutes of body movement (like a yoga class) or deliberate breath work (seated 9 to 15 minutes meditation) can help disrupt those thinking patterns.
We should always use affirmations
One of the simple techniques on how to overcome negative thoughts is by using affirmations. When we wake up, we should open our eyes and feel gratitude for the new day. For example, we can write down daily affirmation statements such as I am open to inspired thoughts, etc.
Whenever a negative thought creeps in, we should think of any success that we have had and the feeling that went with it. Positive thinking is a daily task, but it is worth it. We should always have positive thoughts always.
We should establish new habits
Instead of thinking about how to can overcome negative thoughts, we can think of establishing new habits. We can establish new habits by directing our attention to subjects where there is nothing to “overcome”; subjects that we already feel good about, and therefore think positively about.
We should try developing our success routine
This technique involves taking time each morning as we wake to meditate and focus on the person we want to be and the quality of life we want to live. We should also set a few important goals to keep our momentum building towards our dreams. When we know what we want and are driving at it daily, negativity will fade.
Source (s)
10 tips to overcome negative thoughts: positive thinking made easy – tinybuddha
overcomenegative thoughts – positivityblog
how to overcome negative thoughts patterns – forbes
