Negative thoughts are natural, and you have gotten tangled in them some time or another in your life. Our thoughts and emotions are interlinked, and we need to understand this before getting rid of the intensity or frequency of negative thoughts we face.
Once we understand this, we also need to comprehend that thoughts create patterns and, in turn, create a behaviour that leads to more negative thoughts. It is like an endless loop if not consciously broken.
Negative thinking can contribute to social anxiety, depression, stress, and low self-esteem. The key to changing your pessimistic thinking pattern is to understand how you think now (and the problems that result), then use strategies to change these thoughts or make them have less effect.
It is fundamental to know that thoughts will always keep coming, negative and positive, as they cannot be completely stopped. But negative thoughts can be expelled or banished when they go or replaced with happier and more optimistic thinking.
Let us look at seven simple ways to banish negative thoughts:
- Breathe-one minute calming & release
When you feel you are getting too many harmful or disturbing thoughts, take a moment and concentrate on your heart centre. As you do this, bring your attention to your breathing, and for a minute or two notice how you breathe and as you breathe out, release all the stress and negative thoughts you are having in your mind. Consciously feel and see the thoughts exit your body. You can practise this as many times as you like or require during the day.
- Watch your tone of self-talk.
Sometimes, when low or negative thoughts crawl your mind, you switch your tone with yourself, and your style becomes aggressive, depressing, or even discouraging. For this, you must be aware of your emotional triggers and keep a tab on how you treat yourself in your mind. Understand and address the cause, the situation with empathy and try not to judge yourself with a judgemental two-edged sword. Be kind to yourself. Use words that are more positive in the sentences you make consciously.
- Create a gratitude list
Do not forget all the good things you have going for you?
Occasionally in the daily grind, we lose focus on all the things going right in our lives. When things are feeling glum, and you feel nothing seems to be going right, or you believe you are drowning the ocean of melancholic emotion, look at your life and create a checklist of things you are grateful for. Write them down on a piece of paper. Then, a repetition of a simple prayer saying thank you will help you create a happy vibrational frequency.
Don’t take anything for granted anymore. So many times, good things in our lives are literally in front of our faces, and we still fail to see them.
- Express it:
Expressing how you feel or your thoughts will help you feel happy and channel your emotions to release negative thoughts. You can use a pen and paper, write down all the thoughts you are feeling, all the feelings you are experiencing in your mind and body. Once you do – you can burn the paper to feel the release of these emotions from your system.
You can also try to release negative emotions through meditations.
Another great way to express is the mirror technique; sitting in front of a mirror voicing all the negative emotions you feel and thoughts you have, and then blends the second point of watching the tone and showing gratitude. You will feel a sudden shift of thoughts and when you stick with the happy ones for a minute or two, consciously.
- Affirmation
When you find yourself in the web of thoughts that are pulling you down, start affirming positive thoughts like, “I am happy now”, “I am a magnet to happiness and pleasant thoughts”. This will help you construct a neuro pathway that will send only positive messages to your mind shifting your thinking process instantaneously. If done regularly, it can also crack old thinking patterns and behaviours.
- Anchor yourself in spirituality
It is essential to know we are spiritual beings having a human experience. Therefore, we need to be rooted in spiritual understanding and learning about ourselves and discovering the lessons our experiences teach us through the medium of thoughts and emotions. So get into the habit of reading or reciting or even chanting something that uplifts your spirit and helps you connect with the universe or divine; it will help you see life holistically with a bigger picture.
Everything passes, and so shall the negative thought; when you know this, the low and sad thoughts will lose authority and release your mental agony. Kindly note that this is not an overnight process; it takes time.
- Seek professional help
Sometimes when emotions and thoughts become deep-rooted and old, it is hard to release them off so quickly. It is essential to get to the root cause of the issue, which is done best with the help of a healer or therapist. It will help you move forward in life, let go of the past, and break the negative thinking pattern.
Along with all the above ways, I advise you to regularly take salt water (rock salt) baths once a week. This will help release negative emotions that might lead to thoughts and actions later. In addition, it will keep you feeling happier and lighter.
Rome wasn’t built in one day. Similarly, your negative thinking patterns might not break overnight; you will need to work on them and with them. But try these to release and banish negative thoughts to begin your journey towards positive and emotionally free living.
