Escape from the Prison of Negative Thinking

By Unstoppable Jazz

We all are a mix of emotions & thoughts. A human mind thinks 50,000 -70,000 thoughts in a day. That’s incredible! But did you ever realise this stream of thoughts keep on flowing when you are eating, driving, taking shower, studying, walking or doing anything. It goes on when you are alone or you are in company. It is an automatic – continuous process until you fall asleep. Wait! Have you ever noticed one thing, if you start noticing you will be amazed to see that most of these thoughts are vague, useless or unimportant that keep on wandering inside our heads at a great speed. And the solution lies in AWARENESS & FOCUS!

We humans are a culmination of experiences & learnings, be it good or bad. And from such circumstances we frame our ideas towards life. Negative thinking is nothing but our own lack or control on us. It is true we cannot change the external environment or things happening around us. But we surely can control what goes on inside us & we can control how to react to external stimuli. First of all, Positive & Negative circumstances are part of life. So whatever is happening or coming in your mind, accept it, welcome it and analyse it.

If it is a negative thought it won’t stay for much longer, because you yourself will start feeling uneasy and unhappy and you will work to overcome it.

Negative thought only comes when we have insecurities, pre-conceived notions, relating present with the past, lack of awareness and meaning about the situation.

Let me ask you a question, do you keep the engine of your car running after reaching at your destination? You certainly switch off the engine. So why don’t we do the same with our mind? You might argue that this is an automatic or a natural process, which cannot be stopped.

But I would say NO! It is an automatic process, but it can be stopped, or at least slowed down paused.

And why do we need to stop negative thinking? Such thoughts usually lead to irrational thinking towards people & situation and towards our ownselves. Negative thoughts often lead to anxiety, panic attacks, palpitation, depression, aggression and effects are infinite.

So now how to overcome it? This is tricky!

Follow these practices to come out of negative thoughts & develop the habit of positive thinking. So whenever you have negative thought, start asking yourself as soon as possible (I too do this when i get stupid n negative thoughts):-

1. Is it thought valid n relevant to my life and or current situation/problem? If yes, den you can still continue thinking about it.

2. Is this thought harmful for me or is it causing some kind of anxiety in me? If yes, you are wise enough to stop.

3. Still if the negative thought persists and you are not able to come out of negative thoughts. Then start keeping an alarm after every one hour to remind you that you don’t have to think negative and stop that thought which is going on in your mind. (This was told by my brother few years back). I thought its stupid but after few days it worked!

4. Don’t try to control it, rather embrace it. Face it, think critically about it and you will find the solution whether to quit the thought or to continue.

5. When you know it is negative thought, Reboot & Redirect your mind by saying ‘STOP’. You are the master of your brain and this strong affirmation will control your mind to wander. Continue saying with a strong voice within yourself.

6. Write & Destroy. Whatever is troubling you, write it down all. Writing helps us to give a physical form to our thought & when we see or read them, our mind easily makes out that it is unrequited thought and you may even laugh on it later. You can even destroy the written page, it will give you a sense of relief.

7. Live in Present! Don’t compare any problem or situation with the past. Try to think with a new fresh mindset and find new solutions. And also at the same time don’t think too much about future. Just be in the moment and think rationally.

8. Make thought diaries, you can write down your important positive and negative thoughts of the day in the diary. With the time you will see, how you have been worrying about useless things and also how beautifully you have dealt with life by positive thoughts.

9. Meditation and deep breathing can calm down your mind and soul to think in a right way.

Last but not the least, have confidence and faith on yourself and God. There is nothing like positive or negative. All thoughts are meant for a purpose and purpose is to make you more aware, conscious and mindful. So be Fearless, be risk taker, just tell yourself every day that you have survived so many tough times till now so you can make it this time too with positivity. You already know, this too shall pass. Nothing is permanent, neither the good days nor the bad ones. So why to worry? Just be in the moment and enjoy the mysterious ways of Universe to make you learn and grow your strength and wisdom!