It is no secret that negative thinking is part of almost everyone’s life.
For some reason, it seems it’s easier to think negative thoughts, rather than think positive thoughts.
Sometimes, negative thoughts obsess the mind and refuse to leave it. Why does this happen? How to avoid negative thoughts?
Why is there so much negative thinking? People expect the worst to happen, and this is fostered by the media, since negative news and disasters get higher ranking.
What Are the Causes of Negative Thoughts?
There are many reasons that cause negative thinking and negative thoughts.
The environment in which one grows and and lives, parents, teachers and friends, all shape the mind and make it either prone to negative thinking or positive thinking.
Unpleasant situations, problems and difficulties arise in everyone’s lives, and these events cause negative thinking.
There are obstacles and problems in life. If you have failed once, you might have the fear that you will fail again.
Once negative thoughts lodge in your mind, they have the tendency to grow, if you don’t stop them immediately.
Often, people are not very much aware of the thoughts they are thinking. Therefore, they get easily immersed with negative thoughts and negative moods when listening to the news or to people talking about their problems.
It would be a good strategy to avoid negative thinking, though, in many cases, it is easier said than done.
How to Avoid Negative Thoughts and Negative Thinking
Here are a few simple techniques that can help you learn how to avoid negative thoughts:
1. Try to be aware of your thoughts. Most often, one thinks in an automatic way, hardly aware of what he or she are thinking.
If you strive to become aware of your thoughts, you will know when you are thinking negative thoughts, and therefore, would be in a better position to avoid them.
2. When catching yourself thinking negatively, consciously, try to think of something else, something positive and uplifting.
You might think of a vacation you enjoyed, about an inspiring book you have read, or about a happy event from the past.
3. Choose to watch happy and funny movies, instead of movies about disasters and unhappiness.
Choose movies that make you feel happy and inspired, and avoid the ones that put you into stress or arouse negative emptions.
4. Think often about the goods things you have in your life, and less about the bad things.
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Count your blessing and think about the good things in your life, not the bad ones.
Look at the filled part of the glass, not at the empty part, even if the empty is greater than the full.
5. Align your thinking with your actions. When doing something, focus on it. Don’t do one thing when thinking of something else at the same time.
When eating, focus on the act of eating. When dressing, focus on dressing, and when exercising your body, focus on the exercise. In this way, you will not make place for negative thoughts.
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6. Sometimes, during the day, visualize yourself doing something you love doing, like walking or sitting on the beach, visiting a beautiful place, or being in the company of people you love.
You may also think about happy events or success you had recently. All of these thoughts are positive ways to help you avoid negative thinking.
7. Be aware that sometimes, problems and difficulties are blown out of proportions. Often, these are minor problems and difficulties not worth your time and energy.
Acknowledging this matter can help you avoid negative thinking, when facing problems or difficulties.
8. If negative thoughts persist, write them down, and analyze them to see if there is any truth in them.
9. Don’t fight the thoughts you don’t want or don’t like. If you fight them, they become stronger. A better approach would be treating them with detachment and lack of interest.
10. Surround yourself with positive and happy people and avoid the company of stressful and unhappy people.
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About the Author
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My name is Remez Sasson. I am the author and creator of SuccessConsciousness.com, which I have been running since 2001. Join me on a fabulous journey to self improvement, happiness, success, positive lifestyle, conscious living and meditation, through my website, articles and books.