A Simple Way to Deal With Negative Thoughts

It is quite easy to deal with negative thoughts when they arise.

We need to realize that negative thoughts in themselves are not a problem when we become aware of their presence.

They become a problem when we are not conscious of their existence and react to their influence.

The first step towards dealing with negative thoughts is to acknowledge their existence within us.

Once we recognize them when they arise, we create space between us (the awareness) and the negative thought.

It is then critical that we do not get taken over by thoughts of self-criticism when we become aware of negative thoughts within us.

Label them

Negative thoughts is an umbrella term for thoughts that carry a negative emotional charge.

These could be thoughts of self-criticism, self-loathing, stress, anxiety, depression among others.

It is often helpful, if possible, to label such negative thoughts when you become aware of them.

Labeling will help us notice how frequently and repeatedly the same form of thoughts arise in our psyche.

We will notice that the nature of these thoughts is always the same. They say the same things and have been saying the same things always.

We can see for ourselves how many times such thoughts have turned into a reality.

We will start noticing a pattern with these thoughts. We will notice how certain situations in our life always create the same thoughts.

When we begin to notice such patterns inside us, we realize their futility when they arise in our psyche over and over again.

In the beginning, if it is difficult to label the thoughts due to the mind’s incessant activity, do not be disheartened. We can label such streams of thoughts simply as ‘mind chatter’ until we can recognize a pattern within them.

They are not your thoughts

The negative thoughts that we experience are not ours, to begin with.

We were not born with these thoughts. They have been absorbed by our psyche through the course of our lives, under the influence of society, culture, media, economic structures as well as our parents.

This is not an argument to start blaming these influences, but to make us aware of a deeper reality.

As we start to recognize the patterns of negative thoughts in our psyche, we will also become aware of the causes/reasons that make us absorb them in the first place.

We may then choose to distance ourselves from people and environments that we recognize to be a source of negative energy.

This is not to say we detest them, but consciously remove ourselves from their influence.

There is a possibility that if we see an opening, we may choose to consciously change such environments by bringing a degree of presence.

Recognizing our success

To recognize negativity as negativity is an accomplishment in the first place.

It signifies a degree of awareness within us.

If we can recognize negativity in ourselves, that is the first step towards transforming it into something constructive.

When negative thoughts arise in our awareness, we should rejoice, for they represent an opportunity for our transformation.

When such thoughts come up, we simply need to notice them and not engage in reactivity or self-criticism. In this way, they can be released.

We may have to repeat this process several times before thoughts with a huge negative charge can be consciously released.

There may be instances when we get taken over by them completely and engage in unconscious reactivity.

There is no need to be disheartened when this happens.

We simply need to stabilize our energy through meditation or any other mindfulness practice, such as deep breathing. Once back in a relative state of calm, we can label these thoughts for if they arise in the future.

In conclusion

When we are being mindful of negative thoughts by following the practice of noticing and labeling, we realize that certain negative thought patterns will stop arising after a while, without the need for any effort on our part. It may feel as if they have simply disappeared from our psyche.

In the case of negative thoughts patterns with a huge negative charge, we will notice that their momentum slowly starts to fade away.

They no longer take over our consciousness as we can catch them in advance.

Similarly, situations that earlier used to bother us, no longer cause any form of turbulence in our psyche.

Being mindful of negative thoughts in this way is a lifelong practice. Since the mind never stops generating thoughts, neither should our practice.