How to Get Rid of Negative Thoughts: 9 Simple and Easy Ways
Negative thoughts are harmless unless they are fed with your belief and attention.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that it is the negative thoughts that cause you all the harm and pain, but all thoughts are harmless until you attach meaning and emotion to them. When your thoughts have a negative energy and personal meaning and trauma linked to them, then that is when they will start to cause you suffering. So it is not just the thoughts on their own that are causing you all your trouble, the problem you have is how much emotional attachment you have and still are giving to the situation.
Negative thoughts and emotions destroy lives, you will gain nothing by holding onto them except more misery and suffering, they are the only thing blocking your success, they will hold you back and keep you stuck. One cause of negative thinking is feeling sorry for yourself or believing you are not good enough, if this applies to you then you need a shift in your attitude about how you perceive yourself and your life otherwise you will never move on.
Fortunately, a variety of tactics can help you quell negative thoughts and learn how to think more positively.
1. Change the negative thought into a positive one.
If you’re worried and focusing on what could go wrong in a situation, change your thoughts to what could go right. Your mind can only think one thought at a time, so changing the negative into a positive eliminates the negative.
2. Change your body language.
Take a moment to observe your body language. Are you slouching with a closed stance? Are you frowning? If you are, you’re more likely to think negatively. Bad body language can lower your self-image and lead to a lack of confidence. In that emotional state, it’s only natural to start having bad thoughts. Sit up straight in a confident manner. Open your stance and smile more. Fix your body language and you’ll feel a lot better. It might be just what you need to clear those negative thoughts.
3. Change your environment.
A change of surrounding, even walking out of the room you are in, can move the mind to new thought patterns. Stand up and walk away from the situation and find something new to focus on. You may look at folding the laundry in a whole new, and more positive light.
4. Talk it out.
Sometimes negative thinking occurs because you have issues or emotions you need to get out. It’s not good to keep things to yourself. If you have something that needs to be addressed, you should talk through them with someone. Putting things into words gives your thoughts shape and form. That can help you put things into perspective so you can deal with them at the root of the problem.
5. Do something creative.
When negative thoughts come, it can pay to spend some time creatively. Find a creative outlet for your thoughts. Write things out. Draw or paint something – even if you have to use a crayon. As long as you’re using your creativity to get your negativity out, it can work. Exploring your emotions through creativity acts like auto-therapy and can elevate your mood. Creativity can feel like a release. When you put your emotions through an art form, you get them out of your system and clear them out.
6. Take deep breathe.
Calm your thoughts by taking three deep breaths. Stop what you are doing, get your feet connected with the ground, and breathe deeply. Don’t rush them, breath in and out, and plan your next move.
7. Surround yourself with positive people.
Studies show that humans take on some of the characteristics of those around them. While you will not always be able to avoid negative people, take what steps you can to minimize their presence in your life. Upbeat, optimistic people will model behavior you can emulate.
8. Practice mindfulness.
Mindfulness is a form of meditation that calls attention to the present moment – the smells, the sounds, body sensations, and your thoughts and emotions – and asks you to experience them without judgement. You don’t try to fight your negative thoughts, but you do not engage them, either. You acknowledge their existence and try not to react or judge. Mindfulness will help you focus less on the “what-if’s” of the future and “should-haves” of the past, and instead engage you in the present moment so you can fully participate in your life.
9. Remind yourself: a negative thought is just a negative thought.
A thought has no power other than what you give it. Negative thoughts gain momentum when you think them over and over again. So stop thinking them.
